I’m a HUGE soup lover, so I thought I would give this delicious looking apple butternut squash soup a try with the surplus of apples I picked from my parents’ trees. I had a fairly small butternut squash to work with, so I cut the recipe in half – an average squash should be fine with the full ingredient amounts.
Apple Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
Total Time: 1 hr.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 50 min.
Equipment: Blender, large saucepan
Yield: 8 servings
Shopping List:
- 4 lbs. butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 medium apples, peeled and chopped
(Tip: Use the apples of your choice, a more sour apple will help reduce sweetness of the soup.) - 4 cups low-sodium organic chicken broth
- 1 thin slice fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped
(Tip: I keep my ginger in the freezer, it helps it last longer and makes it super easy to cut into very thin slices.) - ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 cup nonfat milk
(Tip: if you are lactose intolerant, use plant based milk instead.) - 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. ground white pepper
- Optional: Cilantro to garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
- Cover squash halves with foil and place them on a baking pan cut sides up. Bake until tender (about 45-50 minutes). Set aside.
- While your squash is in the oven, add oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped onion; cook, stirring frequently until tender (maybe 3-4 minutes).
- Add apples, broth, ginger, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until apples are tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Pour the apple mixture into the blender (in batches, if necessary). Blend until smooth. Return apple mixture to saucepan.
- Take the squash out of the oven and scoop the flesh out into the blender, add milk (or almond milk in my case) and blend until smooth.
- Add blended squash to the apple mixture in the saucepan and add salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over low heat, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with fresh apple chunks and cilantro.
