Sunday Soup: Butternut squash or "Thanksgiving in a bowl"

I'd like to thank Carrie, long time friend and author of Sunshine and Fresh Cut Grass, for the Sunday Soup shout-out, and the inspiration for this week's recipe!


Joe and I headed over to Ann Arbor for the football game between our Alma Mater and his current school, The University of Wisconsin.  Sadly, Big Blue lost (and NO, Joe was NOT cheering for the Badgers!). We hit the road early this morning, but still came home to lots of work to do to get ready for the week ahead.  Because of that, I needed a soup recipe that required few ingredients, all readily on hand.


I've been sitting here, planning the menu and shopping list for my family's Thanksgiving celebration, which will be held in Door County, WI (northern Wisconsin), in a couple of rented condos.  So, not only am I planning the menu and doing the shopping, I will be schlepping all of the essential cookware with me! It's looking pretty delicious...but a lot of work. I'm thinking that there is a big shopping trip in my near future, like tonight.


But I digress...

Photo from Carrie's blog post, above

This week's recipe: Butternut squash soup or "Thanksgiving in a Bowl"


1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 small sweet potatoes (because the regular potatoes were all sprouty, whoops!)
1 onion, chopped
1 quart veggie broth ('cause that's what's in the pantry, you could also use chicken broth or make your own veggie stock by simmering a quart plus a little extra water with a carrot, celery stalk, onion, and bay leaf)
1/2 to 1 cup whole milk (I'm stirring together some 2% and some half and half, since I don't have whole)


- preheat the oven to 400 F
- toss the squash and potatoes with olive oil and salt/pepper in a baking dish; bake for 45 minutes to an hour while blogging until tender
- transfer veggies and any juices into your favorite soup pot; add the broth and simmer over medium heat
- remove from heat and use an immersion blender, if you've got one, to puree the soup until smooth; or in batches in your regular blender (being careful to keep that lid on tightly!). As always, I like to leave a few chunks for texture.  
- stir in the milk to your desired thickness; season with salt and pepper.  


And since I know Joe will say, "You know what would make this even better?" I'll fry up some chopped bacon for a garnish.