Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Pureeing the soup creates the creamy texture without extra fat.  This is one of my favorite fall “creamy” soups that has a great spice kick that you can adjust to your liking.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

(modified from original recipe from Cooking Light)

Serves 6 (1 ½ cups each)

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 2/3 cup celery, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups (3/4 inch cubed) peeled butternut squash (~ 1 ½ pounds)
  • 4 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper/cayenne (less if you prefer it less spicy hot)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I’m not a big cloves fan, so a small dash is all I actually add)
  • ½ cup plain unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 2 pre-cooked turkey bacon slices, crumbled

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add squash; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon and cloves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in cream, oregano, salt, pepper and beans; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Puree the soup in the Dutch oven using an immersion blender until smooth or in a regular blender in small batches. NOTE: If using the regular blender, fill it no more than halfway! Release one corner of the lid (this prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions). Place a towel over the top of the blender, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth and pour contents into a large bowl. Repeat until you have pureed the entire batch. I’ve learned this the hard way, which is why I now own and use an immersion blender.

Sprinkle each serving with pumpkin seeds and bacon.

Nutritional Info/Serving: 204 Calories, Fat 5 g, Protein 9 g, Carbs 37 g

21 Day Fix Container Equivalents/Serving:  1 Green, 1.5 Yellow, 0.5 Orange, 0.5 tsp

Posted in 21 Day Fix Recipes, Recipes, Soups and Chili, Vegetables Tagged with: , , ,

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