Not so creamy, but dreamy butternut squash soup

There is nothing better than a warm, hearty bowl of soup on a cold, rainy night. A lot of the canned soups that you purchase in the grocery stores contain too much sodium and hardly keep you full.

One of my favorite fall vegetables is the butternut squash. In general, it is quite difficult to cut up; so I opt for the pre-cubed packages at the grocery store. This will not only save you time but also a lot of pain and frustration when you go to cook. I am all about the quickest and easiest way to get a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal on the dinner table.

You will need:

• 2 containers of pre-cubed butternut squash

• 1 blender- I am obsessed with my Vitamix https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/shop/professional-series-750

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup red onion

• 1 container of chicken stock (I used reduced salt)

• 1 cup almond milk

• 2 teaspoons sage

• 1 Granny Smith apple (the green ones)

• Optional: goat cheese crumbles & ground turkey to top the soup with for more protein

I am keen on shortening the amount of time and effort I need in the kitchen. I start by microwaving my butternut squash in a microwave safe container for about 9 mins with a 1/3 cup of water to help them steam. This cuts down your prep time rather than roasting them in the oven for 40 mins. Remove and set aside to cool. Next, roughly chop your 3 cloves of garlic, 1/3 red onion and 3/4 of your Granny Smith apple. Sauté your onion, garlic and apple in a skillet until the onion is translucent. Set this aside.

Now, it's time to use my second favorite kitchen tool, besides my air fryer, of course, the Vitamix. Add the tender butternut squash, 1 cup almond milk, 2 cups chicken broth, with the onion, garlic & apple mixture to the Vitamix.

Blend until smooth. Depending on your consistency prefernce of your soup, you can add more chicken stock make it less thick.

If you want to add protein, in a separate skillet add 99% lean turkey and sauté until browned.

Lastly, add your blended butternut squash mixture to a sauce pan. Next add the 2 teaspoons of chopped sage. Heat on medium until the soup is hot.

Always cover your sauce pan because the soup tends to bubble when hot and can cause burns. I remove my soup from the heat to stir it through and then recover the soup prior to returning it to the heat.

Now ladle your yummy soup and add the finishing toppings like ground turkey, goat cheese crumbles, salt and pepper.

This is my favorite soup to make for my husband on a cold fall or winter night. Hearty, filling and healthy. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Cheers,

Alison