Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons(T) butter (or extra virgin olive oil for a “dairy free” soup)
- 2 medium leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced, both green and white parts
- 4 cups butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks and *roasted
- 1 lb ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears ( 2 large or 3 small pears) peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 teaspoon(tsp) course kosher or sea salt, plus additional for taste
- 1 T peeled freshly ground ginger
- 2 tsp freshly ground toasted fennel seed (optional…but really delicious)
**Optional: Greek yogurt
Directions
1. In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter (or heat the olive oil). Add the leeks and 1/2 tsp of salt.
Saute until softened (not browned), about 8-10 minutes
2. Add the roasted squash, pears, ginger and fennel seed and 4 cups of water. Raise the heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Using an immersion blender, or a in batches in a blender, puree the soup until creamy.
Thin the soup with water if it is too thick, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt
or creme fraiche!
*Prep butternut squash with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in a 425 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes turning the squash 1/2 way through cooking. Carmelization is color and color is flavor so roast away!
Make a double batch and freeze the rest!!!
Our recipe of the week is a delicious Butternut Squash Soup, aka “Pumpkin Soup” that we enjoyed here at Sprouts Academy. We talked at length about pumpkins and squash! We cut them open and scraped out the stringy, slimy flesh and seeds. We read “Pumpkin Soup” by Helen Cooper in anticipation of our first taste of pumpkin soup! Well, it was a HUGE hit with the “shorty’s”! Don’t forget the dollop of delicious thick Greek yogurt!
Did you know:
Butternut squash is a fruit that is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and potassium and an excellent source of vitamin A!
In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.
Butternut Squash “Pumpkin Soup”