GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP

1 small butternut squash (about 850g)
4 medium carrots (about 375g)
2 medium parsnips (about 325g)
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 litre just-boiled water
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
freshly ground black pepper
low-fat natural yoghurt and freshly snipped chives, to serve (optional)

if you serve with a drizzle of yoghurt and some chives, these are not included in the calorie count

Peel the squash, cut it in half, then scoop out the seeds. Chuck the seeds away and cur the squash flesh into rough 3cm chunks. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut them into 2cm slices. Peel and roughly chop the onion and the garlic.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic for 10 minutes until softened and lightly coloured, stirring occasionally. Stir in the squash, carrots and parsnips. Pour over the just-boiled water, crumble the stock cube on top and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat slightly and simmer the vegetables for 25- 30 minutes or until they are completely tender, stirring occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and blitz the soup with a stick blender until smooth - or leave it a little chunky if you prefer. Alternatively, let the soup cool for a few minutes and blend it in a food processor, then tip .it back into the pan. Warm the soup through, then ladle it into warmed bowls. Season with some black pepper and top with a swirl of yoghurt and a few snipped chives if you want to make it look a bit more fancy.


Serving Size: Makes 6 bowls of soup

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WAHZOE.