Butternut Squash Soup
Tasty, colorful & healthy, this Butternut Squash Soup is great to make during the cold season. It's a recipe you have to save to your folder.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 cups white onions, chopped
- 1 cup red peppers, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped tips & tricks
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 large butternut squash (about 10 cups), peeled, seeded and cubed into 1-inch pieces tips & tricks
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (substitute hot paprika), or to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 tbsp. good quality maple syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for garnish
- 6 tbsp. cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil and butter. When it sizzles, add onions, red peppers, celery and carrots; season with ground sea salt. Sauté the vegetables for 5 minutes.
- Add pressed garlic and sauté for only 30 seconds.
- Add butternut squash and season with thyme leaves and cayenne pepper; stir well.
- Pour in chicken broth and push the ingredients down making sure they’re all submerged in the liquid - if not, add a little bit more broth.
- Add bay leaf, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.
- After half an hour, remove bay leaf and discard it before adding maple syrup.
- Using an immersion blender, process until the mixture is nice and smooth; taste and adjust if necessary.
- Add heavy cream and stir.
- Serve in warm bowls, garnish with crumbled cooked bacon, a light drizzle of heavy cream and sprinkle on chopped parsley.