Meatless Mondays – Butternut Squash Soup

You know it’s Fall when all you see are pumpkin and squash recipes all over internet.

Well, it’s no different here!!

I made this soup this weekend, and I must admit that it was a bit too sweet for me until I added some sauteed onions and chunks of potato to it. I left these two items out of the recipe below even though I thought it made it much heartier while cutting the sweetness. Note, my grandsons seemed to LOVE the original soup just as it’s shown below.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 5 cups water
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2/3 cup heavy cream (vegan alternative if you want to make it)
• 2/3 cup sour cream (I would consider leaving this out if you’re going the vegan route – as per my daughter Libby’s request)
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg for garnish

1. Peel, remove seeds and cube the squash.

2. Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add squash and brown sugar.

3. Saute squash and brown sugar, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened – approx. 15 minutes

4. Add apples, water, cider, salt, cinnamon, sage and cloves. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender – approx. 30 minutes. Cool Slightly.

6. Puree the soup in a blender in batches returning it to the pan afterwards.

7. Stir in heavy cream. I created a vegan version using this recipe and these ingredients:

8. Once in bowls, add 1 tablespoon of sour cream and dusting of nutmeg (both optional).

~ Enjoy – 3 Cheers for FALL!!
Lita