Basic Butternut Squash Soup

You know when things start to crash and burn and you think they can’t possibly get any worse?  It’s hard to focus on anything else or to get other things that need doing done.  And then all of a sudden things turn around, everything that went wrong gets fixed, progress is made and it feels like a weight is lifted?  That is so me right now.  So many things with the blog have gone wrong this weekend, but it’s all looking up now.  I’m feeling 100% about it again and I’m so glad to have all of you still with me as I had a bit of a heart attack when I realized I could have lost a fair percentage of my dear readers, and really this place would be nothing without you 🙁

Moving on… I’m so excited to go full steam ahead again.  I’m cooking more and more now as I’m getting closer to 5 months along.  Only just over 2 weeks till I’m half way there!  I have a few things in store for you for the next week or so mostly including winter squash but also some other things, steel cut oats and quinoa… And I’ll admit that there’s something involving pumpkin… But that’s all I’m telling for now!  Stay tuned 😀

If you’re looking for a basic recipe to get creative with, this is it.  Or if you just like your soup plain, simple and delicious, like I do, you will love this.  I served mine alongside some of this brown bread which I made exactly how she described, except I only made half and ended up baking it about 40 minutes.  It was perfect while still warm with butter melted over top and then dipped in soup, and a half loaf was just the perfect amount.

If you want to add a bit of protein, try this great looking butternut squash and chicken soup. 🙂

Enjoy!

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Simple Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 small onion
• 1 large stalk celery
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 medium starchy potatoes, such as russet
• 1 medium butternut squash
• Water or stock just to cover the veggies, approximately 4 cups
• salt and pepper to taste, plus any optional herbs, spices or flavorings

Prepare all veggies by washing or peeling as needed, removing any bad spots and removing the seeds from the squash.  Be careful while peeling the squash and use a large and very sharp knife for cutting as they can be rather difficult.  Roughly chop the veggies and place in a large pot and cover with water or your favorite vegetable or chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Once all the veggies are tender blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor an blend until completely smooth.  Transfer the soup back to the pot and season as desired, being sure to use enough salt as the potatoes in the recipe absorb a lot of it and all the different flavors will really come out once you use just enough salt.

Optionally, you can add so many different flavors to this simple soup.  Some curry powder will taste delicious, as will a little bit of roasted garlic.  The flavor of the soup is very mild so many different flavors will work well.  Also, if you have more veggies than the recipe calls for, feel free to add them.  More carrots, celery, or a larger than average squash will work just fine, even using a large onion instead of a small one will work just fine if you’ll enjoy a little more onion flavor.  Just be aware of how different vegetables will change the flavor, adding much more celery will give your soup a very noticeable celery taste and much more carrots may make your soup sweeter than usual so adjust ingredients with that in mind.  This recipe is just how we like it best, served alongside some buttery toast 🙂

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I hope everyone has a fantastic(and safe!) evening!