So Easy - Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

Sometime ago, my Uncle Fred, came with several butternut squash that he harvested from his big garden in Niagara. I never thought I could like anything made of butternut squash until I tasted the best butternut squash soup made by my friend, Mandy, at one of our church's 'lunch and bunch' events. Honestly, it was the best I have ever tasted and she shared with me her way of making it. She uses smoked bacon to give it the smoky flavor which is really ideal for this cold season. But in this version, I omit bacon because one of my boys do not like bacon fat. This can be a totally vegetarian soup if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken or beef broth.

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

Utensils need:-

Chef knife

Vegetable Peeler

Cutting Board

Large stock pot

Electric Hand blender

Ingredients:-

3 cups butternut squash (peeled and cut into small cubes)

1 stalk leek (including green parts)

1 cup carrots (peeled and sliced into smaller pieces)

1 cup onions (peeled and sliced)

1 cup celery (cut into smaller pieces)

4 pips garlic (skins off)

5 black peppercorns

Dash of nutmeg (optional)

3 cups clear chicken or beef or vegetable broth

Salt to taste

Method:-

Wash thoroughly, peel and cut all vegetables and place them all at once into a large stock pot. Add the broth, peppercorn and bring to a boil over high heat. Once soup boils, turn heat down to low, cover pot and let it simmer for 20 - 25 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Turn off heat. Immerse an electric hand blender into the pot and blend all vegetables until it is in a puree form. Season with salt and a dash of nutmeg. Serve either hot or cold. You will love the creamy and nutty flavor of the butternut squash. It is yummy without adding any cream! 

Note: Enjoy and hope you won't turn 'orange' by eating too much of this!