This recipe was given to me by a former colleague when I worked in Portland, Maine.  It was my first Thanksgiving after graduate school, and the first time that I had my own apartment with a kitchen, albeit with a push button stove!  I was determined to contribute more than just my presence to the Thanksgiving meal at my mother’s house, so I needed an easy, tasty recipe.  Thank goodness for my colleague’s Butternut Squash Soup!  It was a hit, and I have made it for every Thanksgiving since.  I also make it almost on a weekly basis in the Fall and the Winter, since my husband, who is not a soup fan, can’t get enough of this soup.

This is a fabulous soup to make in a big batch, and freeze it for those cold winter nights when you come home from work late and need something hearty to warm you up.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 lbs of butternut squash (I buy it peeled and cubed in the grocery store)

5 to 6 cups of vegetable broth or chicken stock (I buy low-sodium)

salt and pepper to taste

1 and 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1 pinch of ginger

1 pinch of nutmeg

In a soup pot, heat olive oil to cover bottom of pot on medium high.  Add chopped onions and saute until they begin to carmelize.  Add carrots and celery, and cook until they begin to soften.  Add more olive oil if anything starts to burn.  Add potatoes, squash, and broth, and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes to an hour or more, until squash and potatoes are soft.  Turn off heat.  Add salt, pepper, curry powder, ginger, and nutmeg.  Puree with hand held blender, cuisinart, or food mill.  Enjoy!  This soup tastes better after a few days in the fridge.