Easy, Creamy Squash Soup for One (or two, or three...)

I was feeling like a light lunch today and thankfully I had a small squash I was meaning to do something with for some time. Yesterday was the first day of fall and nothing screams fall like butternut squash. Anyway, this is a really easy recipe that will allow you to be enjoying fresh homemade soup in less than 30 minutes, with minimal ingredients.


Ingredients:
6 oz. squash, cooked until soft
3 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
3 TBSP milk (or cream); vegans could use additional stock in place of the milk or cream
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

If you're using a fresh squash, cut it in half lengthwise and steam it in the microwave. You can do this by placing it on a microwave-safe plate in a bit of water, covered with saran wrap. Or if it's a small enough squash you might be able to fit it into a microwave steamer like I did. Microwave on high for 7-8 minutes to start. Check for doneness, then continue microwaving in 5 minute increments until the squash flesh is fork tender. It took me 9 minutes to microwave a 10 oz. squash with a 1000 watt microwave. You could also use frozen squash. Follow the instructions for cooking the squash on the packaging and drain off any excess water at the end of cooking.

Alternatively, you can roast the squash in the oven. Follow the same steps as for the microwave steaming, but use a baking sheet with rimmed edges and do not cover the squash. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes (or longer if it's a really big squash). Again, check for fork tenderness and remove from the oven when you can easily insert a fork into the orange flesh of the squash.

Once you remove the squash from the microwave or the oven, allow a few minutes for it to cool to avoid burning yourself. Carefully remove the seeds and stringy bits, then scrape the flesh into a bowl (or directly into the food processor bowl as I did). Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth (other possible methods: hand blender, stand blender). Be careful of steam and make sure there is an air vent from which the steam can escape while blending the hot mixture. You can add more salt and pepper at this point if you like, or more liquid if you like your soup a bit thinner.

If the soup is still hot, enjoy immediately with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some garlicky croutons. You could also embellish this soup with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, or fresh herbs (like I did with the basil). If the soup isn't hot, reheat in a saucepan over low heat on the stove or nuke in the microwave until hot.

I'm not going to sing the praises of squash in this post, but you can read more about the health benefits of squash here: http://www.wholeliving.com/article/power-foods-butternut-squash

This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled! Enjoy.