Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Onions
February 1, 2018 • Cooking for One (or Two), Soup
I made the happiest of discoveries a few weeks ago when trying to use up leftovers. I had a couple of small butternut squash that I needed to cook so peeled them, seeded them and diced them, then covered with water to simmer. When it was time to turn them into soup I realized I had leftover sautéed apples and onions from Christmas Eve dinner, so I decided to puree them all together for this soup. The result: possibly my favorite squash soup recipe ever! I’ve adapted the quantities for you to start from scratch to make this – it freezes well too so it’s perfect if you are cooking for one or two. Just store in individual portion covered containers in the freezer for a quick lunch when you don’t have time to cook.
- 3 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 apples, peeled and sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Cream, optional
- Place the squash in a stockpot on the stove and cover just barely with water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until soft.
- While the squash is cooking, heat butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and add the onions and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the apples, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until apples are soft, about 5 minutes more.
- Remove the onions and apples from heat and pull out the thyme stems (the leaves will likely have fallen off into the mixture).
- Pour the onion and apple mixture into the stockpot with the squash and use a stick blender to puree. (Alternatively, carefully transfer to a blender to puree, working in batches if needed.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and add as much cream as desired (I added about ¼ cup) to richen the soup a bit. If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin with a bit of water.