Most Saturday afternoons in the winter I like to prepare hearty soup. The soup not only nourishes my family, but it warms us up after a long walk through the snow. Butternut squash is one of my favorite vegetables. The spices and the cream really give this soup a sweet, delicious flavor.
6 servings
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 nutmeg
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 cup half and half
salt and black pepper to taste
Garnish:
Dollop (about 1 tablespoon) light sour cream
Preparation
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
Each portion contains: 2 Vegetable, 1.5 Extra
