Creamy Butternut Squash Soup...with no cream!
This Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, with no cream, is a Gr8 appetizer soup for large gatherings as it appeals to many diets. It's dairy-free, gluten-free, and can be vegetarian if you use vegetable stock.
Servings: 10 cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- ½ pound russet potatoes
- 1 large Granny Smith apple
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like it!
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, to make it vegetarian
- 2 amaretti cookies, finely crushed, for garnish. If you don't have these or don't want the sweetness, leave them off.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium pan (about 4 quarts) over medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion, and cook, until translucent and tender, but not browned, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- While the vegetables are cooking, peel the potatoes, and rough-cut them into small cubes, ½ to ¾ inch.
- Peel, seed and roughly chop the apple.
- Add the potatoes, apples, squash, red pepper flakes, and sea salt to the saucepan containing onion mixture.
- Stir in the water and the stock and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer the soup until vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.
- Purée the soup either using an immersion blender (stick blender) or purée in batches in a regular blender. (Be sure to remove the center of the blender cover and hold a towel over the hole while blending, this will allow some of the heat to escape. Otherwise, you run the risk blowing the top off the blender and decorating your ceiling! Yikes!)
- Add more water or broth if the soup is too thick.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with the crushed amaretti cookies.
Notes
Gr8 Do-Ahead Tip:
This soup can be made up to a day ahead of time, through Step 8. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Reheat over low heat when ready to serve.Gr8 Time Saving Tip:
Many stores have the butternut squash already peeled and cut in chunks. This will save you a lot of time.Gr8 Change It Up Tip:
If you'd rather garnish with a savory bite, replace the crushed amaretti cookies with fried sage leaves. Just heat some olive oil in a small frying pan, add the sage leaves and fry for a few minutes. Remove from the oil just as they start to brown and drain on paper towels. These will cook fast, so be sure to watch them carefully! Recipe directions edited on 10/13/17. Ingredients and quantities remain the same as originally written. Tried this recipe?Mention @Great8Friends or tag #gr8food!