We belong to a CSA, which means that every two weeks my daughter and I pick up a box full of farm-fresh, certified organic produce.
The last three weeks we have been "gifted" butternut squash. I write "gifted" because, until this recipe, I have not been a big fan of the nutrient loaded winter squash.
So this time, I did some internet sleuthing and happened upon a recipe from Cooking Light.com. It was the shallots that appealed to me.
Recipe
MY NOTES:
1. I used 3 butternut squash and only 2 cups of the chicken broth -- we prefer thick soups. Make sure too that you buy BIG shallots, or add to the number required below.
2. I skipped the whole "blender" part and simply threw everything into a big bowl and pureed with my Cuisinart hand blender. Quick and simple clean-up.
Ingredients
* 4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 large shallots, peeled and halved
* 1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
* 2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons (1-inch) slices fresh chives (Optional)
* Cracked black pepper (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 112 (20% from fat)
Fat: 2.5g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 3.3g
Carbohydrate: 22.4g
Fiber: 3.6g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 1.6mg
Sodium: 266mg
Calcium: 84mg
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I use a similar recipe, but
I use a similar recipe, but instead of shallots, I saute 3-4 leeks (just the tender parts). Instead of baking my squash, I cut it in half, put it in a baking dish with a bit of water, cover and microwave on high for 5-8 minutes. Saves time and energy.
I use a very similar recipe,
I use a very similar recipe, and I also use more BNut squash and less broth for a more hearty consistency. For ease in preparation, I wanted to share that I cut the squash in half, put both halves in a large glass baking dish with about an inch of water, and bake it at 400 for about 45 minutes. After cooling a bit, the squash can be easily scraped out and be put right into the bowl for blending. There is no need to cut the raw BNut squash into chunks--which can be very hard work!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
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