Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

I’ve been on a butternut squash kick lately.  Les and my daughter loved the Winter Vegetable Stew with Moroccan Spices, and I made some butternut squash soup with the leftover squash. Then I bought another butternut squash from the store a few weeks ago.  I had intentions of making something new with it, but as sometimes happens, I didn’t get around to using the squash that week.  It sat forgotten and ignored on my counter waiting for me to use it.

I hate to throw out food, so I was glad when my boss told me about some butternut squash soup with chipotle peppers she’d had.  I was inspired!  I could use my sad and lonely squash, and I had everything else I needed in the pantry.  I could make dinner without going to the store.  I love when I don’t have to go to the store!

I made the butternut squash soup last Saturday night for dinner, and I don’t recommend the following technique (at least the part my husband helped with), but it's how I tested the soup.  I started the soup a little late Saturday afternoon, and after the step where I boiled the vegetables until they were tender, I took the soup off the heat, and and set it aside.  My son and I rushed off to mass where he was was altar serving that evening.  Les came home from work while we were at church, and I guess he was hungry, because when we got home he confessed he’d had a bowl of the soup that was on the stove.  Really!?!  The soup wasn’t finished.  It was really chunky, and it wasn't seasoned correctly.  Les said he liked the soup the way it was.  I completed the soup with his portion missing from the pot.  The soup was delicious despite the change.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream is silky smooth with rich flavor from the chicken broth and chipotle peppers.  I made the soup as written with chicken broth (it’s what I had on hand), but I think it would be delicious with vegetable broth too.  Les said he liked his extra chunky soup, but I know he liked the smooth, and properly seasoned soup better.

Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Sour Cream

Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium butternut squash, washed, halved lengthwise and seeded

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth, divided

2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo

Chipotle Sour Cream

1 teaspoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo

1/2 cup sour cream

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Arrange the squash cut side up on a baking sheet.  Brush the cut side of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast squash until browned and very tender, about 45 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat add the remaining olive oil, onion, celery and carrot.  Season the mixture with a pinch of salt.  Cook the vegetables until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Using a spoon, scoop the flesh of the butternut squash away from the skin, and add it to the softened vegetables.  Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender until it is completely blended and smooth.  Add the remaining chicken broth to achieve the desired consistency.  Mix in 2 teaspoons of the chipotle pepper and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of chipotle pepper and the sour cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve the soup with a dollop of chipotle sour cream on top.