Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is one of my favorite veggies.  Once you open it up, its a gorgeous bright orange color.  I'm used to having it roasted with butter and brown sugar, which is no doubt delicious.  But I wanted to try it in a different way.  Here is butternut squash soup.

4 leeks (white and light green parts), chopped

1 3-pound butternut squash peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bay leaf

5 cups low sodium chicken broth

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cut leeks in half and clean the leaves thoroughly.  Then chop.

Here's a step-by-step how to, to work with butternut squash.

Cut the top and bottom off the squash so it will sit flat. Then peel the skin off.

Beautiful! Now that it's all peeled...

Cut in half and scrape out the guts!

Then, cut into strips.

And then dice into chunks. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just try to keep the pieces relatively close in size.

Next...in a large pot toss in the leeks, squash, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and chicken stock.

Bring soup to boil, then reduce to simmer, for 10-12 minutes or until the squash is tender. With an immersion blender puree the soup to your liking. Or use a blender. Whichever method is easiest for you.  Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

Mmm, Fall :)