Since we live in Florida, the window of opportunity to cook cold weather food is very small. If you’re in the southern half of the state, we’re talkin’ 2 whole days out of the year! If you’re in the northeast quadrant of the state, you get a few more days, but the weather is so wonky that it stays cold for a few hours in the morning and then it’s flipflop weather by the afternoon. But since I was born and raised in New England, I love warm winter dishes like soup. I recently had the most delicious butternut squash soup from one of my favorite healthy food stores, and when I went back on subsequent trips to get some, it was no longer being offered in their hot bar. So I decided to take matters into my own hands! I scoured the internet for a recipe that seemed like it would taste like the one I had from the store. I found one that sounded pretty close, but I was concerned about the thickness this soup would produce. Sure enough, it was too watery for my liking even after I blended it. So I put on my creative thinking chef cap and got to work doctoring up this recipe. The result? Smooth perfection that would be called “creamy” if there was any cream in the recipe, but there’s not!
If you’re in the mood for a velvety smooth soup that’s a little sweet and a little savory, head to the store and grab the ingredients. Y’all know that I have an affinity for Trader Joe’s. All of the ingredients I used came from Trader Joe’s. I love that they have bags of butternut squash already peeled and cubed in their fresh produce section-amazing timesaver! They have a great selection of chicken stock, and I just love their onion salt. I’m not sure if they sell allspice, but I happened to have some in my spice arsenal so I lucked out. The soup is delicious on its own, but it can even be jazzed up with croutons or crackers and maybe even a shaving of fresh pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese. Trader Joe’s has some fun offerings in the chips aisle in the way of croutons and soup accoutrements, so be sure to head down that aisle before checking out.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it brings you warmth on cold winter days! Leave a comment below if you make the recipe and let me know what you think of it!
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bags of cubed butternut squash
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the butter in a medium to large sized pot over medium heat.
- Step 2 Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft.
- Step 3 Add the butternut squash and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Step 4 Add the thyme, cumin, allspice, salt, pepper, and onion salt and cook until the squash is tender.
- Step 5 Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s creamy. *If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender. Just be careful not to overfill the pitcher.
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
