Butternut Squash Soup With Toasted Cashews
Butternut squash soup with toasted cashews. Serves 8 as a small starter or 4 as a main course.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 145kcal
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash about 2 pounds or 6 cups cubed.
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream use to thin to desired consistency
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (to taste)
- 1/8 cup raw cashews chopped and toasted for garnish
Instructions
Roasting and preparing the squash. Skip this step if you are using already prepared squash from the grocery store.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Halve squash and place cut side up in a baking pan with 1/2" of water. bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Squash won't be fully cooked, but slightly tender. Cool.
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel of outer skin and scrape inside to remove seeds and stringy fibers. Cut into cubes. Should yield about 6 cups.
Finishing the soup. Start here if you have cubed and prepared squash.
- In a Dutch oven or large pot heat butter and oil until hot and shimmering.
- Add shallots and stir, for a minute or two, then add garlic and stir.
- Next, add squash and broth and bring to a boil. Add thyme and bay leaf, reduced heat and cover.
- Simmer on low about 30 minutes until squash is tender. Remove bay leaf and thyme sticks, if there are any
- Puree soup using an immersion blender or upright blender, until smooth.
- Return soup to pot, add half and half or cream to thin to desired consistency. Finish with toasted, chopped cashews and a drizzle of cream.
- To toast the cashews, shake in a small frying pan over medium heat until light and golden.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 453mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 10162IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg