Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
Look at that gorgeousness! Plus, I baked some bread while I was at it, because what’s a cup of water when you’re drowning!
It’s finally chilly enough for actual, real soup weather. If you’re looking for an easy yet very tasty soup, this is the one! It’s loaded with all the flavors you think of when you think fall (butternut squash, apples, thyme), plus it freezes really well, if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s pretty simple.
You’ll need:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into 1″-ish cubes
2 apples, peeled and diced (Grannies are great, but today I had some Golden Delicious, so I used those)
1 cup apple cider
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme*
1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Place a medium-large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil or butter, then add diced onion. Saute until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
The onion, the squash, the apple, the thyme. It should start to smell lovely soon
Add butternut squash to the pot and saute for another 2-3 minutes, then add diced apple and dried thyme and saute for a minute until the thyme become fragrant. Pour in apple cider and chicken broth, then stir to combine. Add salt and bring to an aggressive simmer. Turn the heat to medium low (a non-aggressive simmer) and let bubble gently until squash and apple are very, very soft, about 20-30 minutes.
Place the soup mixture into a blender. You may need to do this in two separate batches as you should never, and I mean never, fill a blender more than halfway when you’re blending something hot. Also, you’ll want to be sure to remover the center of the blender lid, then cover the hole with a towel that you’ll hold in place. The towel may get a little messy, but hey, you can wash it!
Do NOT walk away and leave it unattended, or else you deserve soup on your walls…and your cabinets…and the floor…and the dog…
Take the center piece out whenever you’re blending something hot, and always use a towel to cover the hole. And hang on to the towel!
Blend on low, then turn the blender gradually to high until the soup is silky smooth. I like to run my blender for at least a full minute. Empty into a bowl and repeat with remaining soup. Add all of the blended soup back to the pot, stir together, and taste for seasoning. This part is important because now is the time to check for balance, add your pepper, and maybe even a little more salt if you like.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can add a half cup or so of heavy cream for richness. We actually call this “enriching” the soup, and no, you don’t want to use milk or half and half here, because they can’t take the heat if the soup starts to bubble and will curdle and look gross. You can also skip this part entirely, amping up the healthiness.
*Dried herbs are the best when you’re cooking something for a longer period of thyme, where fresh typically shine when added in the last 15 minutes of cooking. If substituting one for the other, you would use 3x the amount of fresh to dried (ex: 1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh, and vice versa).
So there you go. Easy, and you can make it ahead for your Thanksgiving dinner if you’re so inclined.
Now, stay well and eat soup!
cvb