In a relatively short span of time, I’ve transitioned from “butternut squash?? I don’t think so” to making my own butternut squash soup from scratch complete with variants. It’s a delicious and easy soup to make, and it’s extremely healthy.
Last week our Boston Organics fruit and veggie delivery included a couple of leeks. This quickly made me crave my butternut squash and leek soup. Unfortunately, as April rolls around so too does the end of winter squash season, so I was convinced I would have to wait drooling until October or maybe September. But my sojourn to the market was successful — there was a nice selection of good looking Central- or South American squashes. I wonder how long I’ll be able to find them at the store.
Since our veggie delivery also included parsnips, I thought I would substitute a parsnip for the carrot I would normally include. Parsnips are a close relative to the carrot and are even higher in nutritional value!
So here’s my new variant of my Butternut Squash and Leek Soup. I hope you enjoy it!
- 1 butternut squash, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 parsnip, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped finely
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon, herbes de provence
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Warm the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, parsnip, onion and leek, cooking and stirring often until everyone is tender. Add the broth, butternut squash, salt, pepper and herbes de provence. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer on low. You can simmer it just until the squash is soft, but I let mine simmer for about an hour to really let those flavors mingle. Stir occasionally either way. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to desired consistency. I left some chunks.
Serve! Makes about six servings.
Tags: anti-inflammatory diet, Boston Organics, butternut squash, celery, garlic, herbes de provence, leek, onion, parsnip, vegetable broth
