Butternut Squash Soup

It is surprisingly difficult to pick recipes for one’s home country race. Especially the U.S. GP. Our food is already such an amalgamation of all world cuisines it can be hard to distinguish what is uniquely American. Burgers, Apple Pie, and BBQ all hit the mark, but I wasn’t in the mood. The weather has just changed and the rain has finally come in. It is gusty and there is a chill in the air. With that, comes soup season, and all things fall. I got inspired by the beautiful blog Love and Lemons and her list of Fall recipes, so decided to make Butternut Squash Soup, Brussels Sprouts Salad, and a quick, and slightly different take on, Apple Crumble.

Hope you enjoy this menu of Not-A-Burger :)

Butternut Squash Soup is a long-time favorite of mine, my sister used to make it when she visited from college, and it screams fall to me more than pumpkin spice lattes and decorative gourds.

This recipe has a nice addition of ginger and traditional flavors of sage and rosemary, they work well together and give it just enough savory to balance the sweet squash flavor. Hope you like it too!

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4-6

 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
½ tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper 

For serving
Toasted pepitas
Crusty bread 

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and a bit of freshly ground pepper and sauté until soft, 5- 8 minutes. Add the squash and cook until it begins to soften, stirring occasionally, for 8- 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant, then add 3 cups of the broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the squash is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Let cool slightly and either use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or pour the soup into a blender, working in batches if necessary, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth and blend. Season to taste and serve topped with pepitas, and some crusty bread on the side.

 From Love and Lemons