Most Saturday afternoons in the fall I like to prepare a hearty soup. The soup not only nourishes my family but it warms us up after a long walk in the woods. Butternut squash is one of my favorite fall vegetables. The spices and the cream really give this soup a sweet, delicious flavor.

Ingredients:

1 medium chopped onion

2 T. unsalted butter

6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 t. mace (if available)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 cup half and half

salt and black pepper to taste

Garnish:

Dollop (about 1 tablespoon) sour cream

Crumbled bacon (about 1 teaspoon) if desired

Sauté onions in butter in a large saucepan until translucent. Add the cubed squash, broth, mace, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the squash is very tender - usually about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add the half and half. Then, puree in batches using a blender or food processor, and return back to pan to heat through before serving-but don’t boil. Serve hot and garnish. If you want to reduce the calories, use fat-free sour cream for the garnish and use whole milk instead of half and half.

Nutritional information per serving

214 calories
12.5 g total fat
(7.7 g saturated fat)

25 g carbohydrate
6 g fiber
5 g protein
130 mg calcium

Portions:
2 Vegetable, 1.5 Extra