Easy Butternut Squash Soup

Happy New Year, friends!

Hope you're all doing well - I wanted to share this really yummy recipe for an easy butternut squash soup.  If you were lucky to get an immersion blender for Christmas, this is your chance to use it!

The health benefits of butternut squash are abundant - it is loaded with fiber, heart healthy, contains potassium for those bones, folate, and vitamin B6 which is important for the functioning of our nervous and immune systems - important for this time of year.  The best part of this little ghourd is its color.  The beautiful yellow hue comes with benefits of their own including important cartotenoids which are believed to be protective against heart disease.  It also contains beta-carotene which studies suggest fights against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration.  In just one serving, you get almost half your daily recommendation of vitamin C.

Not a fan of dealing with cutting and peeling?  No worries; most grocery stores sell it already done for you.  See?  EASY!

Ingredients:
20 oz prepared butternut squash - or one whole - peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
3-4 garlic cloves
1 Vidalia onion, cut
1 red pepper, cut
6 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
2tsp sea salt
1T sugar
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup low fat milk

Preparation:
Place all of the ingredients, except milk, into a soup pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.
Reduce heat to simmer and cover soup for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat, and use your immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients together.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, use a regular blender and be sure to vent it for heat to escape)
Stir in milk
Serve with warm baguette and a salad!

Nutrition*:
Makes about 8 cups of soup

*Nutrition information is an estimation only and the nutritional analysis I provide for each recipe is calculated via My Fitness Pal using the nutritional data found on their website. I am not a registered dietitian, so always consult a qualified healthcare provider for any answers to personal health care questions.

 
Adapted from Once Upon a Chef