Baja Butternut Squash Soup

  Posted on February 24, 2010  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

Spicy, Smoky Soup

Last night, I taught a cooking class. It was on healthy Mexican food. I will post all three recipes. Today’s recipe is the Baja Butternut Squash Soup. It’s slightly different than most butternut squash soups because of the spices. It has chipotle powder in it, which gives it a spicy, smoky flavor. You can also use chicken stock in this recipe.

Baja Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 10

1 1/2 lb (1 small to medium) butternut or other winter squash
1 tsp canola oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp ground chipotle chile, (see Note)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
6 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 Tbs snipped fresh chives, or chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut squash in half and seed. Place the halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out flesh when cool enough to handle.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the squash flesh, cumin, chipotle to taste and cloves. Add broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches) until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and sprinkle of chives (or parsley).

Nutrition
Per serving : 60 Calories; 1 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 12 g Carbohydrates; 2 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 532 mg Sodium; 249 mg Potassium

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days.

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle can be found in the specialty-spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.