Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

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As mentioned in my post from Monday evening, this will be the start of every post through Tuesday, November 16!

After roaming the terminals of the Indianapolis Airport for food, my friend Laura and I came across the Wolfgang Puck restaurant. She got a butternut squash soup, while I opted for a chicken pesto salad. Both delicious! While I loved my choice, her soup was so good! I decided to find the perfect recipe and make my own for tonight's dinner. After scouring Allrecipes.com, I took a little bit from 4 different recipes and deliver to you my Spiced Butternut Squash recipe! Spiced because of the spices involved, not spicy - I felt the need to clarify because a coworker asked me "Spiced? Like spicey?"

Let's get started, shall we?

Grocery List:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 and 1/2 pounds of peeled, seeded, butternut squash (I bought pre-cut fresh 1 inch chunks from Whole Foods)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch sugar
3 large cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon Allspice
2 cups chicken broth
1 and 1/2 cups half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: Sour cream, sprig of fresh thyme

First start by taking you squash and roasting it in the oven on 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. By roasting the squash, you are helping to seal in the nutrients of the vegetable.


Next, heat the oil over medium-high in a large, deep saute pan until simmering. Add the onions and saute. Once the squash has been roasted, add to the pan to mix with the onions.


Reduce the heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic. Continue cooking until all vegetables are rich and spotty - about 10 minutes. Add cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Continue to saute until fragrant.


Add broth slowly, 1 cup at a time, and bring to a simmer. Partially cover, cook until squash is tender - about 10 minutes.


I cannot wait to get an immersion blender, that will be my next kitchen purchase, but until I do, I use my regular blender. Puree the mix until smooth.


Return the soup mix to a soup pot and add the half and half. Add salt and pepper to taste - I added a little more ginger and cinnamon.


Ladle into bowls, garnish and serve!


I made a caramelized pear salad with cranberry viniagrette to complement the soup. This was a delicious and healthy dinner!