Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and roughly chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 fresh sage leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• Coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the garlic and sauté about a minute until fragrant.
3. Add in the squash, carrots, apple, broth and sage; stir until well combined and bring to a boil.
4. Stir in the cayenne pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, and reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Cover the pot and simmer for about 35-45 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender and able to be mashed with a fork.
6. Remove the sage leaves.
7. Stir in the milk.
8. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or do so in batches in a regular blender).
9. Season with black pepper and any other seasonings you desire.
10. Serve hot with crackers or bread.

The original recipe I followed to make this deliciously creamy winter soup can be found here.