Cold Weather Is Ideal for Butternut Squash Soup

As they say in Game of Thrones, "Winter is coming" and this past week, I could certainly feel it. Everyday was freezing and the wind chill did not help at all. This kind of cold weather is ideal soup weather and I don't mean broth-y soups, I mean thick and filling soups. (At least, that's my personal preference). 

I adore butternut squash soup and this chilly weather was my cue to make this scrumptious and filling treat. I love the sweetness of the squash and the velvety texture of the puréed soup. I love the feeling of "biting" into the soup, since it had a fair amount of volume, and I love the warmth I feel as I eat this soup. 

This soup is incredibly easy to make and can be made to last a few days. I knew that the coming week would be busy, so I made a big batch of soup to last me. This is great as a starter or even a main course. A sure fire winner! 

Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
(I was running short on time, so I bought pre-cut butternut squash)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter (I used smart balance)
- about 4 sage leaves, chopped
- 32 oz vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- a dash of heavy cream, for serving
Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet. 
2. Prepare your butternut squash by peeling and dicing. Then coat with olive oil. Also, season with salt and pepper. I added a bit of herbs de provence, which gave the soup a nice kick. 
3. Place the butternut squash onto a baking tray and allow squash to roast in oven for about 50 minutes or until very soft. 
4. In the meantime, prepare your stock. The original recipe I found said to use vegetable stock, but I had so much chicken stock that I wanted to use that first. 
5. Chop up your sage. 
6. Chop the onion into small pieces. 
7. Once your butternut squash is ready, remove from oven and set aside to cool. 
8. In a large pot, melt the butter. 
9. Add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent. 
10. Once onions are soft, add stock to the pan. 
11. Next, add seasonings (salt, pepper, cinnamon) and sage.
12. After a few minutes, add the butternut squash to the pan. Mix well. Clean off the foam, if you can. 
13. If you have an immersion blender, use it to puree the soup. If not, do what I did and carefully ladle the soup into a blender. 
14. Once the soup is all blitzed together, return to pot. 
Now your soup is ready to serve. When serving, I suggest adding a dash of heavy cream and a sage leaf (or two!) 

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