One Simple Trick for Easier Butternut Squash Soup

How many recipes have you read that include the seemingly simple ingredient: "1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed"?

It sounds so easy … but it never is. I usually end up wrestling with it for more time than I anticipated. The butternut squash's oblong, round and heavy body doesn't allow for graceful knife skills. I don't know about you, but I'd certainly never want to peel and cut a butternut squash in front of a live studio audience.

If you (or your clients) are as clumsy with butternut squash as I am, this recipe is for you. Tweet this Instead of cutting and peeling raw butternut squash, I use the "roast and scoop" method: Place the squash on a baking sheet, roast in the oven, slice it open and scoop out the insides. No wrestling required.

Butternut squash soup often has a savory tone to it, but I tend to prefer the dishes that play up the natural sweetness of the squash. It is against my nature to only season with salt (I had to really hold myself back from adding even a tiny crank or two of black pepper!), but I think the result allows the sweet, velvety butternut squash to shine.


Butternut Squash Soup Tweet this

Recipe by Laurie Knauf, RD, LD

Ingredients

  • 1 small (1 to 1½ pounds) butternut squash
  • 1 medium apple, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ½ cup low-fat milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place the butternut squash and apple pieces on a baking sheet and roast in the oven. Remove the apple pieces after 20 minutes, or when soft. 
  3. While the squash continues cooking, sauté diced onion, olive oil and salt in a pan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally; cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove the squash after it has cooked, 40 minutes in total, or when soft. Carefully cut the squash in half or quarters; set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
  5. Add cooked onions and vegetable broth to a blender, and puree until smooth.
  6. Scoop out he flesh of the butternut squash and discard the skin. Add cooked squash and apple to blender and puree. Slowly add milk while pureeing until smooth. Serves 4.

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Laurie Knauf, RD, LD, is a Columbia, Mo.,-based registered dietitian and co-founder of LettuceHaveLettuce.com. She is the 2015 Young Registered Dietitian of the Year for the Central Missouri District of the Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Follow Lettuce Have Lettuce on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.