Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe and photo from Toronto Sun

It's raining today. Perfect time to have this soup.

Versatile, affordable and tasty — all I can say is butternut squash rocks!


Pound for pound butternut squash is the best winter veg around.  With a thin skin, a small cavity and fewer seeds than you expect, you get more usable flesh and less waste.  A perfect partner for the heart-healthy diet, butternut squash is high in fibre, packed full of calcium, potassium, vitamins A, C and B, and is a good source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is beneficial for vision and the immune system. 

When purchasing butternut squash look for those with a smooth, blemish-free skin that feels heavy for its size.  If the price is right purchase more than one, and store in a cool, dry place. Squash can last up to three months this way, and the options are endless. 
Butternut squash can be boiled, roasted on the barbecue, microwaved, pureed, baked and even fried. Just remember that baking deepens its flavour. I’ve personally used it as a substitute for sweet potatoes in casseroles and have even enjoyed it baked as a French fry but my favourite is a simple butternut squash soup on a cool November day!


Here’s a great recipe I’ve adapted from Canadian Living magazine.


1 butternut squash
1 medium onion
1 head of garlic
1/2 cup (125ml) olive oil
4 cups (1L) low sodium chicken broth
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. (2ml) ground sage
Salt a pepper to taste
1/2 cup (125ml) 35% cream or half and half
Sunflower seeds and chives to garnish


Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). While oven is heating, slice squash in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon (you’ll need a good knife to slice squash). Place cut side down on baking sheet. Peel onion and slice it in half. Place on baking sheet; season with salt and pepper then drizzle with most of olive oil.


Slice top off garlic head then place it on a small piece of foil. Drizzle with remaining oil, wrap in foil and place on baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes until squash is soft (poke it with a fork to test). Let squash cool slightly, and then scoop out flesh into a medium pot along with the onion. Unwrap garlic and squeeze it into pot (cloves should slide right out). Add chicken broth, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let soup cool then puree in a blender or with an immersion blender.


Stir in the cream and serve garnished with sunflower seeds and chopped chives.


Serves 4 to 6.