Apple Butternut Squash Soup

On Sunday, E, Nathan and I were wandering the aisles of Costco when I saw chopped butternut squash in the refrigerator section. I decided it would be fun (and lets be honest, EASY) to make a butternut squash soup for dinner (it is fall after all) so I put a container in our cart. When we got home I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pair with the butternut squash. I had a few apples in the refrigerator, leftover from apple picking, so I decided to dice them up with an onion and a clove of garlic and add them to the pot. I thought apples would add a nice sweetness to the soup. I was right!

I sautéed onion, butternut squash, garlic, and apple together with a dash of pumpkin pie spice. After they had a chance to soften a bit and get a little color, I added an entire container of Trader Joe’s vegetable broth to the pot. I knew I wanted to add a little whole milk to the finished product so I kept the soup base vegetarian.

The soup came together so quickly! E and I really loved the depth of flavor that the pumpkin pie spice added and the sweetness from the apple. The whole milk added a beautiful richness to the soup. I topped each of the bowls with some pepitas, for crunch, and some roasted butternut squash and apples for some additional sweetness and texture. We each had a bowl for dinner and then took containers of it for lunch the next day. Even Nathan had a few spoonfuls and loved it!

If you are looking for an easy fall soup for dinner tonight, you MUST try this one!

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash, 1, large, diced

Apple, 1-2, large, diced

Onion, 1, large, diced

Garlic, 1 clove, finely chopped

Pumpkin Pie Spice, 1/4 teaspoon

Sea Salt, a pinch

Pepitas, for garnish

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (“EVOO”), 2 tablespoons + a drizzle

Trader Joe’s Vegetable Broth, one container

Whole Milk, just a drizzle

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apples, 1/2 cup (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat a large pot on the stove top at medium heat with EVOO.
  2. Once the EVOO is glistening, add the onion to the pot. Sauté until the onion is slightly translucent.
  3. Once the onion is cooked down, add the diced butternut squash, apple and garlic to the pot. Sauté until they are slightly soft and/or have a little color. Sprinkle in the pumpkin pie spice and sea salt.
  4. Slowly add the vegetable broth to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer. Allow to cook partially uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the squash and apples are soft.
  5. Allow the soup to cool uncovered for 30 minutes. Then, using an immersion blender, blend the soup up and serve immediately. I topped ours with some pepitas, a drizzle of whole milk, EVOO and a few pieces of roasted butternut squash and apples.