Liza Baker’s Butternut Squash Soup

Liza Baker (That’s Leeza!) is one of Kuel Life’s Health Coaches. She regularly blogs amazing recipes to share with her clients and followers. We at Kuel Life are lucky to be able to share her recipes with all you KUEL women.
There is no doubt about it, cooler temperatures bring out the best in soup lovers. Liza taught cooking classes years ago and her favorite topic was helping her students understand the principles of making soup.
“Once you understand the formula behind making soup; you realize that with a very few ingredients (even leftovers) and some water, you can make a meal, sometimes in minutes.” Liza shares.
Some of us find butternut squash delicious to eat but difficult to work with. Like many of the hard winter squashes; it’s so hard to peel and cut when raw! Two workarounds, Liza suggests are: 1. if you are nervous about it: buy it pre-prepped (it’s available in peeled, cubed form at many grocery stores, and can still count as a whole food if you purchase in organic form or from a market that does not douse it in chemical preservatives; or 2. bake it before cutting (see below).
Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (look for the longest neck rather than the biggest bulb)
• 1 T butter (or ghee or coconut or olive oil)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled (optional) and chopped
• 1 T curry powder (optional)
• ¼ c white rice
• 4 c stock, chicken or vegetable
• salt + pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. If you are baking the squash, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the squash (whole or cut in half) on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until a knife passes through it easily, usually 45–60 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature, then scoop the flesh away from the skin, removing the seeds as you go. Set the flesh aside until step 8.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion, carrots, and—if you’re starting with peeled, cubed squash—add the squash now. If you roasted a whole squash, don’t add it yet!
4. Turn down the heat, cover, and sweat the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.
5. Turn the heat back up to medium high, stir in the curry powder (optional), and cook just until fragrant—less than a minute.
6. Add the rice and stock, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots and squash cubes are completely cooked through, approximately 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat, cool slightly, and use a blender or food processor to purée until smooth. If you are using roasted squash, add it to the blender/food processor now.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reheat to a simmer.

Variations:

• Add a chopped red bell pepper with the onion for extra color and flavor.
• You can substitute any pumpkin or winter squash or sweet potatoes or yams for the butternut squash. You’ll want approximately 2 lbs or 2–3 cups raw.
• For extra richness, add a splash of cream or some Béchamel before puréeing.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Make Ahead:

1. The squash can be roasted up to 3 days before making into soup. Scoop out the flesh, let it cool to room temperature, and refrigerate it in a tightly-covered container. Want to freeze it? Refrigerate it overnight, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
2. The raw squash can be peeled and cubed up to 3 days before making into soup. Store it in a tightly-covered container with a damp paper towel inside. You can pre-prep the onions and carrots and toss them in the same container as well.
3. The soup can be made up to 5 days before serving. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a tightly-covered container.
4. The soup can be frozen up to 3 months in a tightly-covered container after properly cooling and refrigerating overnight.

Let us know how you like this soup and enjoy Liza’s many other recipes on her Simply:Health Coaching site. And, for a short time only, the Kuel Life community can get Liza’s Thanksgiving 101 ebook (a $9.99 value) for free if you use the coupon code KUEL at checkout! (expires 11/21/18)
© Elizabeth A. Baker, LLC

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