Butternut squash and carrot soup

I love a good soup for my weekday lunches. I try my best to eat vegetarian during the day, and soup to me is one of the more satisfying and fulfilling lunch options that can easily be vegetarian, while still delicious. I often turn to a tomato base or chickpeas, or a combo of the two, so this soup is a rare pivot from that!

I have made other butternut squash soups and struggled to find the balance between the sweet and savory flavor, and really liked how this one came out. The texture is smooth, and as you can see in the photos below, it pairs nicely with a quesadilla and I'm sure it would be perfect with a grilled cheese as well!

When trying this recipe out, I decided to try it with frozen and cubed butternut squash and it made the whole soup come together MUCH more easily with less chopping required. It would taste delicious made with fresh butternut squash, but know that using frozen will make it a bit less labor intensive which I am always a fan of, especially when the taste isn't sacrificed.

To blend the soup, I used an immersion blender and was able to get a silky smooth texture. A blender would work a little quicker, but it depends how smooth you want your soup. Know that either way, the butternut squash and carrots will be tender enough that they'll blend up and create a great texture.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds frozen cubed butternut squash (you can also use fresh, about 7 cups)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 yellow onion diced

• 4 medium sized carrots peeled and chopped

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon dried and ground sage

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1/4 cup butter alternative (I used Earth Balance) or unsalted butter

• 4 cups vegetable broth

Cooking time: About an hour - hour and fifteen minutes

Cooking instructions:

Cook your butternut squash. Frozen or fresh, cube your butternut squash and boil (follow package directions for frozen squash, or boil until tender from fresh about 10-15 minutes). Drain and set aside.

In a large pot over medium to high heat, add in you olive oil and diced yellow onion. Mix occasionally, and once your onions are near translucent (3-4 minutes) add in your peeled and diced carrots. Continue to mix for another 4-5 minutes.

Add in salt, sage, brown sugar, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a light simmer and leave to cook for 30 minutes stirring on occasion.

Stir in your butter alternative or unsalted butter and butternut squash. Bring to a simmer and leave to cook for 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Use an immersion blender or regular blender, and pulse until smooth.

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 4 (about 2 to 2 1/2 cups each)

Carbs per serving: 42

Carbs per full batch: 166

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.