Delicious first course for winter holiday meals.
Delicious first course for winter holiday meals.
Number of Servings: 12
Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 1 butternut squash, about 3 lbs., peeled, seeded & cut into 1" cubes 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & chopped 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 4 pinches of Spanish saffron threads, about 1 tsp (optional) or 1 tsp sweet curry (optional) 2 cups fat-free half & half Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large soup pot, over medium heat, melt butter and saute' onion, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the squash and broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Add chopped apples, saffron or curry (if desired) and nutmeg. Simmer until the apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Be extremely careful not to overfill the processor/blender container which could cause severe burns. Return the soup to the pot and stir in half and half. Season, to taste with salt and pepper.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PEEL THE BUTTERNUT! JUST CUT IT IN HALF TAKE THE SEEDS OUT AND PLACE THE INNER PART OF THE BUTTERNUT FACE DOWN (THIS MEANS THE SKIN THAT YOU WOULD OF PEELED OFF IS FACING UP). WHEN DONE (IT WILL FEEL SOFT) .. SCOOP OUT THE SQUASH YUMMM! A LOT BETTER THEN PEELING!!!
- 11/15/09
I make a similar recipe, only I leave out the half & half...less fat and cholesterol. When serving I'll put a dollop of Fat Free yogurt on the soup with a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
- 5/12/08
For easy peeling of any hard squash: prick with tines of fork few times, microwave two mins. Then halve, peel, prepare and cook or crockpot the squash.
- 1/19/10
Made this yesterday to have for supper today. I used butter cup squash because that is what I have from the garden. I used curry and my locally picked apples, and 2% milk because I didn't want to go to the store for half & half. Was enjoyed by all. Great and easy recipe.
- 11/1/09
This soup is so delicious and surprisingly sweet! I used almond milk instead of half and half but it still turned out creamy and wonderful. Since I opted to use curry powder, rather than saffron, I topped the steaming soup with a dash of cinnamon, which really brought everything together nicely.
- 11/23/11
this is just like a recipe I have made for years except I have never used the fat free half & half - so I am really excited about making that change (from, I hate to tell you, heavy cream)! And I don't use saffron - the curry flavor is perfect.
- 11/22/08
I agree with missveganlove that I would subsititute olive oil for butter, Vegetarian broth for chicken broth and soy milk for half and half. This is a great recipe for a fast lunch or a snack. I will definitely make it!
- 5/11/08
I made this tonight without the 1/2 & 1/2 and I roasted the butternut. This was delicious. I put a drizzle of Maple Syrup on the kids to entice them...it worked! It is a wonderful soup!
- 10/19/08
i would make this again and again and again! my 16yo boy liked it very much also. just 1 prob. - does anyone know an easy way to peel butternut squash?
- 5/7/08
This great recipe is wide open for improvisation! The first time I used 2 tsp. curry in the butter with the onion to develop the curry flavor. I've made it with persimmon pulp too. I like HEHC2GOOD's herbs and I've used apple juice instead of cream and yam instead of squash! FUN to play with.
- 1/8/08
Love it!! I cooked the squash in the oven beforehand with a little olive oil, Salt and Pepper. It made it so much easier to peel it and reduced the cooking time. I did not add the cream and the soup was still fantastic. Thank you for Sharing!!
- 1/4/13
I loved this! And I left out the cream and didn't miss it at all. Also cut the effort- left the peel on the apples and blended with an immersion blender instead of a stand blender and still perfectly smooth but extra fiber from the peels and easier clean up!
- 2/10/11
I roasted the squash for 1 hour, split in half cut side down on a foiled cookie sheet 350 1 hour. Followed the rest exactly, lovely, topped with spoonful of low fat sour cream. Yummy
- 1/17/11
I added a dash of cinnamon and paprika. I think it was too much onion, so next time, I'll probably only use 1/2 or mybe even a 1/4 of an onion...BUT absolutely incredible! Thanks for sharing!
- 11/30/09
Time consuming to peel and cube the squash and apples but so delicious! A wonderful fall soup that is being added to my repertoire! My slight adjustments were a lot of pepper and using half soy milk, half 2% milk instead of half and half since that's what I had in the house. Thanks for the recipe!
- 10/23/09
I have a similar recipe using pumpkin puree instead which works great! Curry should be added to the onion and oil just before the onion is cooked to get the best results! While half & half makes a richer soup, I use 1% or skim milk instead.
- 5/11/08
This soup is very good. However, it seems like its missing something. We made it for Thanksgiving and topped it with a little bit of homemade cranberry sauce. Very good.
- 11/23/12
I used pumpkin pie spice (didn't have nutmeg), and red curry powder. I used Silk Plain soy milk instead of ff half&half. It turned out great. Will make it again.
- 11/7/12
For those who have tried it, what did 12 servings actually yield as a serving size? 1 cup...2 cups? Etc.. I don't want to make this and guesstimate, or get out 12 containers and attempt to portion it out equally. I am just starting so proper portions are still new to me.
- 10/16/12
Whenever recipes call for cream I always use lowfat or fat free evaporated milk. It has a lot of milk solids which makes things taste creamy without the fat. Plus it's kept on hand in the pantry so I don't have to run to the store. 1 can is also usually the right amount too so no wasting.
- 8/28/12
used saffron, no curry. used braeburn & gala apples and an heirloom squash from farmer's market because that's what I had. used 2% milk instead of 1/2 and 1/2.
- 2/5/12
Awesome! I use1% milk and pumpkin pie spice because it was what I had. I threw squash, onion and apple rough chopped into the crock pot with everything but milk until soft. Then blended with milk. Wonderful!
- 1/9/12
My family and I really loved this recipe - perfect dinner for the cold, rainy autumn weather we've been having. I just peeled the squash with a vegetable peeler. The skin came off pretty easily. I also used 1 cup of fat free half-and-half instead of two.
- 10/1/11
What a great harvest recipe! I did not peel the apples and then diced them thin. And I used squash that I already baked in the oven. As a result, I skipped the blender and have a more chunky version of this soup. Very good meal...
- 10/1/11
Very tasty! We had this tonight - it made a TON of soup, too. I used oil instead of butter, cut out the cream, and added a little cinnamon.. But it turned out delicious!
- 8/21/11
Excellent soup. One of my favorites. I omit the saffron and sometimes I don't t add the half and half or will substitute it with soy or almond milk.
- 5/24/11
I made it without saffron and curry; delicious tasting and filling none-the-less.I let the soup simmer to reduce the broth liquid a bit. I also substituted carnation evaporated nonfat milk for half and half as that is what I had on hand. A recipe to definitely make again.
- 2/28/11
Great hearty soup! I make a large batch (not including the half & half) and freeze it in 1-2 serving size containers. Then, after it's thawed, as it's heating, I add about 2-3 Tbsp. of the non-fat half & half to each serving. I also make a similar soup with squash, apples and ginger.
- 2/21/11
Why does this, as so many other recipes calculated in Spark, have such a high sodium content? It doesn't seem correct in view of the ingredients, and I'm no longer interested in recalculating recipes myself. What gives, Spark?
- 2/21/11
Going to make this for dinner tonight, have a smaller butternut squash on hand so will cut the recipe in half. It should be easier to blend with the immersion blender, then.
- 2/21/11
Not bad...I would make it again...I just wish it was a little sweeter? Maybe if I roast the squash first next tme and use a sweeter apple rather than granny smiths? I will give it a try next time...
- 2/4/11
Love this! I cooked chicken tenders with the onion, took them out while the squash and apples cooked. I used an Immersion blender, then diced the cooked chicken and added it back. I used 2% milk and just a dash of curry powder. The chicken added only a few extra calories. You don't get much .
- 1/27/11
Just made it, baked the squash and scraped out the flesh instead of peeling, cubing and boiling. Used 1 cup of 2% milk instead of half and half. Great stuff, I would definitely make it again!
- 1/8/11
Tasty soup, but not very filling. It's more time consuming than I like for a weeknight, but good for special occasions. I prepared the squash as recommended in the recipe, and found the peeling/cubing process to be very frustrating. Will cook differently in the future! I added minced garlic- Yum!
- 12/27/10
This is a GREAT recipe! I used a 4lb butternut squash and 3 apples (one of the apples was HUGE, so I used 3 instead of 4) I also didn't want to make a store run, so I used the rest of the milk I had (1 cup) and the remaining 1/3 cup of evaporated milk sitting in the frige. Delish!!!
- 12/26/10
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe! I left out the 1/2 & 1/2 and ended up using Garlic Roasted Chicken Stock since that's what I had in the cupboard. And I roasted the squash in the oven first (saw the woman on 5 Ingredient fix roast hers for her soup today!!)
- 12/4/10
it sounds delicious can't wait to make and eat it! i am pretty pushed for time though, how long did it take you to make it? any tips for making it faster would also be helpful! thanks
- 11/30/10
I made this soup last night....YUMMY!!! I adjusted the seasonings to my tastes as I do with all receipes and it's delicious!!!! Gonna make it again & again...
- 11/22/10
I just made a similar recipe and used 2 macs, butternut , chicken broth. I love butternut squash soup but adding apple to it was also a treat :)
- 11/18/10
made this with vegetable broth because I am vegetarian- also used a little 2% milk instead of the cream- only half cup- This was very good and fed 6 people.
- 11/1/10
This is very good and soothing for the fall. An easy way to prepare the butternut squash is to cut it in half, remove the seeds, cut it into 2"-3" squares and place in a steaming basket. Steam until tender and scoop out..energy is saved!
- 10/24/10
Leave out the butter and saffron. Tie some fresh rosemary and oregano in some cheescloth. Simmer until nice and soft, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Puree with an immersion blender. No need to add any cream. My husband thinks it taste like a very good tomato (?) soup. Whatever, it tastes good!
- 9/12/10
When you look at the "breakdown" of the calories it adds up to 123 calories not135.2. Sure it's ONLY about 12 calories but shouldn't it be the same?
- 9/11/10
Cut out the butter and it was still excellent. My company LOVED this recipe. I used light coconut milk instead of nonfat half and half. Did use 1 tsp. of red curry paste. Topped this off with some chopped cilantro which really kicked it up a notch. Recipe is definitely a keeper.
- 1/12/10
I used water in place of chicken broth and 1 cup of skim milk instead of two of half and half and indian masala for curry powder. It needed a little salt to make up for the lack of chicken broth; but was otherwise good.
- 12/23/09
So great! I subbed ff cottage cheese for the half & half and smoked paprika for the saffron and it all blended up creamy, delicious and ssoooo healthy! Thank you for sharing it.
- 1/18/09
This is very close to one I made as a starter one year for Thanksgiving. It was delicious but notice I said as a starter. LOL That was then...this is now, I would now pair this with a salad and call it a meal. Thanks for reminding me of this one.
- 1/17/09
This sounds wonderful! I love butternut squash, and I can see this recipe using pumpkin as well. Curry, what a great idea. Also like the vegan options others have posted. Will definitely be making this, and soon!
- 12/7/08
I will like to make it , but I will like to know if I can use pumpkin instead of butternut squash. were i live i can not get the butternut squash to buy all the time and it is expensive. the recipe sounds nice i will like to make it
- 5/11/08