It's that time of year again! Time to bust out my favorite fall soup recipe! This is on my Thanksgiving table every year. You can make it in advance and pop it in the freezer until a day or two before you need it. Then thaw slowly in the fridge and put it in a slow cooker to warm it up while making dinner. Thanks to readily available precut squash in many stores, I splurge a bit and use that instead of buying whole squash like I used to. It saves time, and my aging wrists! This soup is filling, so serve small portions if a big meal is to follow.
Ultra Yummy Curried Butternut Squash Soup
• 2 packages precut chunks of fresh butternut squash (thanks, Costco!)
• drizzle of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 large sweet onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (more or less as you prefer)
• 3 apples, cored, peeled, cut into chunks
• 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock (I like Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups apple cider (Patterson’s is the best if you are from CLE!)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 granny smith apples
Toss the squash chunks in olive oil and spread them out on a large roasting pan with sides. Roast in a hot oven, (I use 400°F convection) tossing frequently until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, sauté the butter, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir frequently to prevent burning or sticking.
Add the roasted squash, pan juice if any, apples and stock to the pot. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
Process the soup through a food mill, or puree it in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade, small batches at a time.
Or if you are lucky enough to have an immersion stick blender (my favorite kitchen gadget!) do it the easy way like I do: purée the soup right in the cooking pot while hot until nice and creamy.
Add the apple cider and more chicken stock if necessary to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and rather thick.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot, garnished with finely chopped Granny Smith apples.
Mmmmm.