Thanksgiving Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Prep (20 minutes) + Cook (1 hour +)
6 servings, about 2 cups each

The soup is easy to make, but it takes some time for the squash to bake. (I don’t think the squash is quite as good when cooked in the microwave as it gets sweet and caramelized in the oven.) The soup can also be made a day or two in advance or frozen for up to 3 months. Serve it with whole grain bread and potato pancakes (we love Dr. Praeger’s vegetable pancakes, sold frozen) topped with nonfat sour cream and naturally sweetened applesauce.

3 – 4 lb. butternut squash
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger or 3/4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Slice the ends off the squash, stand it on one end, and slice the squash in half, lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and place the two halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until it is very tender when pierced with a fork, 50-60 minutes.

After the squash has baked for 50 minutes, melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy duty saucepan. Add the garlic and cook it for about 1 minute. Add the onions, celery, cinnamon and ginger and sauté it, stirring occasionally, until the onions and celery are softened, 5-8 minutes.

When the squash is tender, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare the potato pancakes, if you are serving them.) Peel off the squash’s skin or scrape out the flesh (whichever is easier), chop it coarsely, and add the squash to the pot with the onions. Add the broth and bring it to a boil. Stir it thoroughly and simmer it gently for about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender (or with a hand blender) and return it to the pot. Stir in the salt (optional) and honey. Serve it immediately, or refrigerate it for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values):
Calories 160, Total Fat 4g, 7%, Saturated Fat 2.5g, 12%, Cholesterol 10 mg, 3%, Sodium 240 mg, 10%, Total Carbohydrate 30g, 10%, Dietary Fiber 7g, 27%, Protein 3g, Sugar 11g

Nutritional Information per serving (with 1 slice whole grain bread and 2 pancakes with sour cream and applesauce:
Calories 433, Total Fat 16g, 25% Saturated Fat 3g, 17%, Cholesterol 31mg, 10%, Sodium 663mg, 29% Total Carbohydrate 67g, 23%, Dietary Fiber 16g, 63%, Sugar 15g, Protein 9g