Welcome to crisp cool November! Have a slow cooker on hand? Thank goodness! You can make this easy-as-pie hearty butternut squash soup (or give it a try on the stove top if you’re slow cooker-less). We made this a few weeks ago and I loved it— it is truly one of the tastes of autumn (and winter) to me. A tip: to make things way easier, check your local Trader Joe’s or grocery for already cut and peeled butternut squash.

Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from Betty Crocker: The Big Book of Slow Cooker, Casseroles & More

• 8 Cups Cubed Peeled Seeded Butternut Squash
• 1 Large Apple, Chopped
• 1 Large Onion, Cut into 1” Dice
• 4 Cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk or Half & Half
• 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/2 Tsp. Cumin
• Dash of Curry Powder
• Fresh Shredded Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
• Fresh Sage (Optional)

1. Spray 4-5 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Add squash, apple, onion, salt, pepper, cumin, and curry powder and give a stir to mix. Pour broth over mixture and add in bay leaves.

2. Cover and cook on Low Heat setting for 7-8 hours, or on High Heat setting for 3 1/2-4 hours.

3. Once soup has finished cooking blend soup with an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can pour soup in 3 cup batches into a blender to puree. Pour pureed soup back into the slow cooker and stir in whole milk. Remove bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.

4. Increase heat setting to high and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve soup with shredded parmesan cheese and fresh sage. If desired, add in fresh croutons made from dicing a day old crusty baguette.

Mmmmm, cozy soup. Enjoy!

Despite the ice, and slush on the ground, the fact that my feet got wet through my Uggs, and that even though there are 15 inches of snow on the ground in Philadelphia I still had my 5pm class,  I can’t help but find snowy days in cities so incredibly beautiful and romantic. 

Maybe it’s the trees dressed in white in the park, covered in snow.

Maybe it’s the quiet, serene feel of the big city on a snowy day.

Or that I got a perfect reason to spend most of the day at home cuddling with Slip, drinking peppermint coffee and baking muffins (I brought those to my class that wasn’t cancelled, lucky them).

For lunch I made a big omelet with red onions, spinach, parsley, and brie (I got my brie that the creperie left out!)

And when I got home from class tonight Slip had made dinner! Butternut Squash soup and orzo flavored with roasted garlic and parsley and some oven roasted asparagus. Yum!

Gotta love a good snow day!

My cousin sent me this recipe a few weeks ago— we got this soup going in the afternoon and enjoyed it between the appetizers and the main course. I served this in coffee cups and we sipped on it while we were playing board games and wearing New Years tiaras.

BOURBON & BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
From Chanterelle Restaurant
Serves 8 as a first course

-2 T. butter
-1 large onion, coarsely chopped
-1 3 lb. butternut squash - peeled, seeded & cut into 1” chunks (you can buy this pre-cut at -Trader Joe’s)
-1½ quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade or low-sodium
-¼ cup good bourbon
-1 bay leaf
-Salt & pepper
-Lemon juice
-¼ cup heavy cream, or to taste

1. Melt butter in heavy soup pot. Add onion and stir to coat. Cover pot and sweat onions until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add squash, stock, bourbon and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until squash is very soft, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Strain the mixture through a colander set over clean pot, reserving liquid. Discard bay leaf.

4. Transfer squash and onions to blender and process until smooth (I used my immersion blender).

5. Return to pot and add reserved broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens to consistency of light cream, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in lemon juice to taste.

7. Add heavy cream just before serving and re-season if necessary.

Serve hot.