A few years ago, my friend Durenda was here for Thanksgiving with her family.
See?
This is me watching her cook dinner in my kitchen. 😉 (Yep. I’m that kind of friend.)
Anyway.
I have always wondered how to make butternut squash soup—and she shared her recipe with me. I now feel like I can do it myself, and I’ve made it several times since. It’s become a true family favorite.
As we all settle into SOUP SEASON, I encourage you to give this one a try. Your family will think you are some new, improved version of Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray… or Julia!
BTW, you’ll love this more if you have an immersion blender. The one we used in the photo above didn’t survive our initial foray … so I bought this one. Yep—this one is better: Kitchen Aid immersion blender has a larger blade and two speeds. It’s amazing.
Don’t forget to top it with more cheese. Cheese makes everything better.
This recipe serves eight. I have doubled it both times we made it — so if you’re serving a crowd, be sure to double it!
Enjoy xoxo
Heidi
Creamy, delicious and a great way to feed a crowd! Perfect for a cold winter night.
Ingredients
- 1 2 1/2 pound butternut squash (or 1 pkg from Costco of cubed winter squash)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large Braeburn or Gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 6 oz smoked Gouda or smoked cheddar, finely shredded
- {optional} toppings - crumbled bacon, smoked paprika
Instructions
- Peel, seed and cube butternut squash
- In 6-qt Dutch oven, melt butter over med-high heat.
- Add squash, onion, carrot, celery and garlic
- Cook, stirring frequently, until veggies are tender
- Add apples, broth, cider and peppers
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat
- Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies and apples are tender
- Allow to cool slightly
- Using an immersion blender, puree while in pot. You can also puree in a blender, in smaller batches.
- Blend in sour cream
- Blend in smoked Gouda
For my fellow visual learners — here are a few pictures from our bisquey adventure:
This is my faithful friend showing me that I don’t have to be afraid of butternut squash. Veggie Tales may or may not have affected my ability to cut up butternut squash. Turns out… once you peel it and seed it, it’s not that hard. 🙂
Saute veggies in butter until they are tender
Cover with broth and apple cider. Let it cook for about 25 minutes. It’s okay if your mouth starts watering.
Using an immersion blender, puree mixuture. Add sour cream when bisque is smooth.
Add a bunch of smoked Gouda. Mmmmmm. You won’t be sorry if you add more.
Add a bunch of smoked Gouda. Mmmmmm. You won’t be sorry if you add more.
Got this at Costco. I may or may not have had extra. 🙂
Enjoy!