As much as I love soup, it was just too darn hot to be making soup this summer. With the amazing fall fruits and veggies calling me from the market, I've decided to pretend it's not still 80 degrees in NOVEMBER and get back to the soup blogging anyway! So glad I did, because the first soup after the hiatus was delish!
Nothing symbolizes fall produce like squash and apples. This recipe highlighted them both. I saw a big barrel of butternut squash while walking into Whole Foods and it jumped into my little cart. At the time, I didn't know what I would do with it, but the trusty soup cookbook helped me decide right away. I love to buy locally grown but don't always look for the organic. In this case, it was an impulse buy, but if you are on a budget, you can usually find a butternut squash for a few bucks at a farmers market.I just opted for a small one. I didn't decide on a recipe until after my squash came home with me and I found apples in my fruit basket, so I purchased the remaining ingredients at my nearby Lucky's.
First step: prep the ingredients. Butternut squash isn't the easiest to prep, but it's readily available already peeled at most grocery stores. I had a small squash, so it wasn't too bad, but larger ones can be a struggle. I then chopped up the leeks, carrots, and celery like it hasn't been 5 months since I've handled a vegetable. :) Although I did feel like I cheated a little since this recipe did not call for onions and my eyes stayed tear free.
The rest is super easy. I melted butter in a hot pan and added the squash, leeks, carrots, and celery. These cooked for about 10 minutes until I added the apples, thyme, broth and 1 cup cider. I brought the broth to a simmer and then cooked on low for 30 minutes.
While that cooked, I worked on the garnishes. I cooked a few slices of bacon until very crispy. To prepare the cider cream, I boiled 1/2 cup cider until it reduced down to 1/4 cup. Once cool, I whisked into 2/3 cup sour cream. This was so yummy, I could have eaten it by the spoonful! Finally, I cored and thinly sliced a granny smith apple.
By this time, the soup was ready for my handy immersion blender. I seasoned with salt and pepper and was ready to serve!
The soup looked almost too good to eat with all the garnishes. Sour cream isn't on my diet plan, but I added a generous helping anyway. The soup was awesome. The sweetness of the butternut squash pared with the tart apples was the perfect marriage. The cider cream added richness and fizz. Opposites attract in this soup for sure! And it was a great "Welcome fall" recipe. To be honest, the bacon --as much as I love bacon-- didn't add much too this soup. If you don't have it on hand or don't feel like adding the extra step, the soup was definitely delicious enough to stand on its own.
So excited to back to soup making. More fabulous recipes to come!
Soup Ingredients:
3 Teaspoons unsalted butter / from home6 cups butternut squash, peeled, diced & cubed / Whole Foods / $1.29/lb = $2.331/2 cup carrots, chopped / Lucky's / $0.99/lb = $0.861/2 cup celery, chopped / Lucky's / $1.992 granny smith apples, peeled, chopped / from home1 granny smith apple (for garnish), sliced thin / from home1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme / from home
5 cups chicken broth / Smart & Final / $2.49
1 1/2 cups apple cider, divided / Lucky's / $1.99
2/3 cup sour cream / Lucky's / $1.48
bacon slices (for garnish) / Lucky's / $3.99
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 min
Servings: 6-8
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $15.13 ($2.52 per serving)
