I’m on a soup kick this week… and LOVING it! The cold weather gives me such a craving for some hot, luxurious and delicious soup.
This is a truly light, tasty, guilt-free recipe for Butternut Squash and Leek Soup… it’s like nothing you’ve ever had before! Light on fat, BIG on flavor.
Oh, did I mention it’s easy too?! The beauty of this soup is you don’t have to finely or precisely chop anything. Just throw it all into a pot, boil, blend and eat!
Butternut Squash & Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (or you can buy it pre-packaged and cubed during the fall/winter months)
- 2 stalks of leek, cleaned and roughly chopped
- 3 or 4 stalks of celery
- 1/2 yellow or red bell pepper
- 2 medium potatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock (I use chicken… but if you want to keep it vegetarian, it’s great that way too!)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- Drizzle of olive oil
Directions
In a large stock pot, saute the leek, celery and pepper in the olive oil. Roughly chop all of them- truly it doesn’t matter how it’s chopped, it’s all going in the blender anyways! 🙂
Let them cook down for a few minutes on medium heat until the celery becomes translucent. Add the butternut squash and the potatoes (which are peeled and cubed), the salt and pepper, and then add the stock. You’re going to add enough just to cover the vegetables.
Make sure you don’t add too too much liquid or your puree will become too watery. Allow the soup to cook uncovered on a medium low boil for 20 minutes.
While you could technically just put this all in the blender now and give it a little blend until it’s a smooth consistency (and it would be incredible!), here’s where the optional ingredients come into play. If you wanted to throw it over the edge just a bit, add a pat of butter and a couple tablespoons of heavy cream to it. It will be smooth & creamy and oh so good! You could chop up some fresh herbs, dill, cilantro or chervil and sprinkle on top. Maybe a bit of parmegiano regiano cheese… or a dash of hot sauce.YUM!
This is one of my favorite soups that are just all natural and the vegetables really speak for themselves.
Plus, here are some of the great health benefits of butternut squash:No offense to my other summer time fave squash, Mr. Zucchini, but butternut squash is also low in fat, super heart-friendly and has a ton of fiber. It’s filled with vitamin B6 which is essential for immune and nervous systems and it’s chock full of potassium, which is important for your bones. It also has folate, which is the vitamin that doctors recommend for pregnant women because it protects babies against some birth defects and is a boost for heart health!
And just when you thought this little squash couldn’t give any more …well it does! That gorgeous pale orange color signals it’s best health benefit. That hue is the color of nutrients known as carotenoids and beta carotene, the same found in carrots. It fights against some cancers, (like breast cancer) and supports healthy lungs in the development of babies. With only a 1 cup serving of this (which if you’re making this soup recipe you’ll get WAY more than that cause you’ll be going back for seconds!), you get the daily serving of vitamin C -a powerhouse antioxidant.
So enjoy the season my friends! Stay warm! Eat some soup!
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