Monday, November 15, 2010

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup


(picture and recipe from MyRecipes.com)

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family yesterday since everyone will be out of town. I made this for the meal - it's my favorite butternut squash soup recipe yet. And it's really easy! Especially if you have a Stick Blender. This might just be my favorite kitchen tool. It doesn't have to be that expensive and it saves a ton of time and mess. You can blend soups, sauces, smoothies directly in the pot, bowl, or glass!  Here's the one I have.  Although we bought this one for my mother-in-law one with lots of attachments and those are pretty handy!


The recipe is from Cooking Light and I like it even without the half and half. I typically add only 1/2cup.




Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
  • 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
  • 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped chives
  • Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Preheat broiler.
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.
Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

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