Having soup before a meal helps fill you up, so you won’t be as tempted to overeat. Think volumetrics! This is one of our favorite ways to cook any type of squash varietal during the cold fall thru winter months. Roasting caramelizes squash, which intensifies the flavor and brings out their natural nutty sweetness. This recipe is very flexible as you can roast any squash you pick up at the farmers market or have on hand. I like seasoning with fresh thyme, but you can easily substitute dried. (Tip: If you do use dried, rub it between your hands to bring out its oil to perk it up again!)
Ingredients
1 medium sized seeded butternut squash, cut in half
1 medium sized pear, peeled and cut in cubes
2 medium sized leeks, well washed and sliced
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp. good Kosher or sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of minced lightly sautéed garlic or 2 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme
4 cups of nonfat low sodium chicken broth or water
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then, place both halves of the squash on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the halves are tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes until you are able to handle them without burning your hands.
3. With a good strong spoon, scoop out the squash and place in a large bowl.
4. Slice off green tops of leeks and cut into halves lengthwise. Wash thoroughly until you see no dirt and then finely slice.
5. Heat a large stockpot . Add olive oil and leeks. Cook leeks until translucent. Add water, thyme, salt and pepper, cooked squash and broth (or water). Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Puree with a hand blender until it reaches your desired consistency.
Yields: 14 servings. Serving size: 1 cup. Nutritional Content: 60 Calories, 2g fat, 0g saturated fat, 2g protein, 16g carbohydrates, 0mg cholesterol, 4g fiber, 312 mg sodium. Stores in fridge for up to 1 week. Freezes well in freezer in individual servings for up to four weeks.