Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup

Dipping a hunk of crusty bread into a bowl of homemade soup. Does it get any cozier than that? Fall is my absolute favorite season. Changing leaves, crisp air, sweaters, root vegetables, apples, simmering pots of goodness like the one above... that is pure happiness to me.

As my CSA share winds down (just one left, tear tear!), the root vegetables are in high supply.  We have a lot, and I mean a lot, of carrots.  If you have any carrot recipes to share, I'd love hear them in the comment section below.

The following soup recipe is a rustic, no muss no fuss preparation.  The optional addition of some cream or milk will richen it up.  I omitted in mine, and am enjoying this for lunch at work with a dollop of Greek Yogurt and a healthy handful of crackers.

Carrot & Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 5 large carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Optional: 1/2 cup of milk or cream

Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat until glistening.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 3 minutes until glistening. 
• Add the carrots, and saute for 3 minutes. 
• Toss in the butternut squash to coat, and top off with the stock, sage and cayenne.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for 25 minutes under tender. 
• Puree using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. 
• If you'd like a creamier taste, stir in the milk or cream. 
• Serve with chunky bread for dipping.