butternut squash soup
SERVES 2PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
3 tablespoons clarified butter, ghee, or coconut oil
½ cup diced onion
3 cups diced seeded peeled butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Not sure how much squash to buy for this recipe? Generally, a 2-pound butternut squash yields 3 cups once the seeds are removed, but don’t stress about having slightly more or less squash than the recipe calls for—this one is pretty forgiving. You can also buy pre-cut butternut squash and save yourself the guess work and 10 minutes of prep time, but that’ll definitely add to your grocery bill.
IN a large pot, melt the cooking fat over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom of the pot. When the fat is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the squash, garlic, and ginger and stir until the garlic becomes aromatic, about 1 minute.
ADD the chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the butternut squash is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
IN one or two batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender and blend on high speed until smooth in texture. Return the pureed soup to the pot.
HEAT the soup over medium-high heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.
MAKE IT A MEAL: To make this a complete meal, add cooked chicken, scallops, or hard-boiled eggs when returning the soup to the pot for the last 7 to 10 minutes of cooking. For extra greens, add two generous handfuls of spinach or kale in the last 3 minutes of cooking.
✪ PREPPING SQUASH Peeling and dicing squash isn’t that tough if you have the right technique. First, cut a small amount off the bottom and top of the squash, to give it a flat surface. Next, use a vegetable peeler to peel the squash from top to bottom. Next, rest the squash on the flat bottom surface and cut in half from top to bottom, creating two long halves. Scoop the seeds from the middle of the squash with a large spoon. Finally, lay the two halves flat on the cutting board and cut strips lengthwise, then across, to create your dice. If some pieces are much thicker than others, cut in half again, so your cubes are all a relatively consistent size.
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