Saucy Butternut Squash Soup

Saucy as in apple sauce, this isn't just an ordinary butternut squash soup. Adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com, it's loaded with all manner of vegetables and takes a mere 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Now have I got your attention?

Sauteed carrot, celery and onion joined by lots of diced squash and cooked in low sodium chicken stock, it's simmering away on the stove in record time. As you likely know by now, it's unlike me to follow a recipe one hundred percent, so rather than using 4 to 6 cups of broth like the recipe asked for, I used the 3 cups I happened to have on hand.

After the vegetables were cooked and pureed with my trusty immersion blender, I added a cup of cream to thin the soup as well as a full cup of applesauce from a jar. Garnished with crumbles of blue cheese, the bowl of comfort went very well with the crisp Cuban style sandwiches adorning our plates, never mind the sweet potato chips courtesy of our friend Trader Joe.

By the way, don't forget to taste the soup before you serve it and salt it really well! It needs extra to bring out the subtle flavors. 

Saucy Butternut Squash Soup (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from wholefoodsmarket.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced carrot

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

2 small butternut squash, peeled, cleaned and diced (about 5 cups)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup sugarless apple sauce

1 cup cream, half and half or whole milk

Blue cheese as garnish

Heat oil in large heavy bottomed pot. When shimmering add carrot, celery and onion and sauté until onions are soft. Add squash and thyme along with chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower heat cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and carefully puree using an immersion blender or food processor. Return mixture to pot and stir in apple sauce and cream. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper. Heat slowly until very hot, but do not allow to boil. Serve topped with crumbled blue cheese.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Two year's ago - Lemon Chicken with Herbed Potato Salad

Comments

[Lea]

Love your addition of the applesauce - brilliant - and of course the cream! I think the garnish of blue cheese is fabu, too! I want some now!

[June]

Lea - gotta give the credit for the applesauce and blue cheese to Whole Foods, but the cream's all mine. LOL

[Lorraine]

I made some squash soup this week too. I will try the blue cheese on some of the leftovers. Love the applesauce idea and well it wouldn't be JBugs Kitchen antics without the cream!

[June]

Lorraine - great minds think alike. Can you believe I only bought half and half this week? What on earth am I gonna' do? LOL

[Immersion Blender]

I just simply adore Butternut Squash Soup. Your recipe sounds fabulously delicious with the added applesauce and the Blue Cheese garnish.