Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

I love fall (I may have mentioned that a few times). I love butternut squash. I love soup. So, on a rainy, chilly, fall day, I decided to combine three of my favs and try my hand at making butternut squash soup. I must confess that reaching this decision required some bravery on my part as I tried this once before, about 15 years ago, with dismal (i.e., inedible) results. However, I've learned a lot about flavors and combining them over the past 15 years, so I thought I'd give it one more try. I figured if it didn't work this time, I'd give up and move onto something that I knew I could successfully make.


As is typical, when I set out to make something that I haven't made before (or haven't made an edible version of), I read an assortment of recipes to find out how others make it. For this research, I consistently turn to two resources:  1) my somewhat battered, but beloved copy of The Joy of Cooking, and 2) Google. I like to use the cookbook as I have found the recipes in this particular one to be very, very reliable turning out good results time and again for a variety of dishes. I use the internet as I like to have access to the reviews of the recipes posted on common food sites so that I know what works and what doesn't for the home cook. I made this soup on a work day, so did both quickly.


What I learned from my review is that the ingredients for Butternut Squash soup vary widely. There was a version with ground thyme and rosemary. Though I like both, I thought ground sage might be an even better choice, especially if I were to serve it closer to Thanksgiving. There were also multiple recipes that included curry. I've had a hard time finding a brand of curry powder that I like though, so that option was out. In the end, I settled for a mixture of garam masala - much more reliable than curry powder for me - and saffron, complemented with a little ground cumin for some smokey notes.


Most recipes called for roasting the squash. I was in a serious time crunch, so skipped this step. However, after tasting the end result of my efforts, which were pretty yummy, I would make time to roast the squash next time as the version I made lacked a deep flavor that I believe roasting will provide. 


I made the soup this time using my 4 qt crock pot and it was super easy. However, it would be just as easy on the stove top and much faster. In addition, though not by design, this soup happens to be dairy free, gluten free and could be made vegan by substituting the chicken broth for a good quality veggie broth. 


This soup is full of lots of good things that remind me of fall:  squash, apples, cider (or in my case today apple juice, but I think cider would give it just a little something extra). In addition, the creaminess of the soup is partly due to pureeing the soup in a blender and partly due to the use of lite coconut milk. 


Give it a try the next time you have some left over squash on hand or need a new recipe to combine some fall favorites. You won't be sorry!


Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Combine the following ingredients EXCEPT for the Coconut Milk in a crock pot (4 quart or larger):

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 2" chunks
• 1/2 a small onion, diced
• 3 small apples, skin on, diced
• 1 tbls Garam Masala
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• small pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2-3 cups apple juice or apple cider
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 can lite Coconut Milk
• Maple Syrup

Allow to cook on low for 4 hours or high for 6. When squash is tender, puree soup in a blender in batches and add to a soup pot. Once all of the soup has been pureed, add 1 can of lite coconut milk and stir to combine all of the ingredients. 


Taste soup for seasoning and add as much as 3 tablespoons of good quality maple syrup (or more to taste). Make any final adjustments to the seasonings as needed, including garam masala, ginger, salt and pepper, etc. 


Allow soup to cook over medium low heat for a minimum of 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. If you are making the soup in advance, follow recipe up to the adjustment of seasonings and then refrigerate. Warm soup before serving. 


~Enjoy!