butternut squash soup

It’s late summer and the butternut squash are in a familiar place – piled up in a box in the utility room waiting to be turned into my favorite fall recipes — like this one. I’m eyeing the forecast waiting for the first hint of fall in the air. When it arrives (soon I hope!) I will be bring the golden relaxed vibes to the dinner table with ginger butternut squash soup.

This is an elegant soup with a lovely texture, but don’t be fooled, it’s little more than chopping, sauteing and cooking it down. The garlic, ginger, and onion will immediately put a smile on your face. Note, in a hurry I have been known to saute the onion and garlic for about five minutes, throw in the rest of the ingredients and boil the hell out of it because I was in a hurry to put something warm on the table. While the texture suffers a bit and the flavors are less developed, but no one around the table seems to notice.

There are many ways to make a meal out of this soup – here are a few of my favorites:

• Simple spinach salad on the side, toasted sourdough, with a swirl of olive oil and sprinkle of hot pepper
• A plop of vegan butter and salt atop the soup, toasted with smashed avocado
• Olive oil and swirl (or two) of sriracha for the soup, crusty bread pan fried with a little butter with either jammy tomatoes or a thick slice of fresh tomatoes. There are almost always some large Cherokee purple tomatoes on the vine when I make my first batch. If opting for a fresh tomato, a thin layer of vegan mayor and a little salt will brighten and deepen the flavor profile all at once.

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, scooped and chopped
• 1 small/medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• 1 spring fresh rosemary (off stem, chopped)
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4-ish cups veggie broth (though, I have used water and extra herbs in a pinch)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

• In a large pot, saute yellow onion, apple and squash, olive oil and salt over medium heat until the onions are translucent,8-10 minutes.
• Add garlic, ginger, and rosemary and stir for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
• Add a veggie broth and bring to a boil, then turn to simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until squash is very tender.
• Uncover and let it cool slightly before pureeing – I prefer the immersion blender because it is one less thing to clean up!
• Add small small amounts of vegetable broth to achieve the desired texture.
• Salt and pepper to taste.