Lori's Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

One Large Squash (roughly 3 lbs)
Two-Three Garlic Cloves (Press or Mince)
One Tablespoon Olive Oil and some for drizzling
1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Three-Four Cups Vegetable Broth
One Tablespoon Cream Cheese
½ Cup Chopped Shallot (One large bulb)
One Teaspoon Salt
One Tablespoon Real Maple Syrup
Ground Pepper (To Taste)
One-Two Tablespoon Butter
Cinnamon (To Taste)

Method:

• Preheat oven at 425
• Vertically halve squash, remove seeds, drizzle and rub with olive oil to lightly coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay the squash face down
• Roast 40-50 minutes or until tender

While baking squash:

• In a large pot, warm 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil @ medium until shivering, add chopped shallots and 1 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring often, until shallots have softened and start to turn golden brown. (Roughly 3-4 minutes)
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (roughly 1 minute), while stirring often. Transfer to a blender.
• Once squash is ready, remove from oven and slightly cool (enough so you can handle it).
• Scoop out flesh into blender. Discard of skin.
• Add into the blender maple syrup (use 1 tsp to start but sometimes I like a bit more and can add it later in the process),nutmeg and pepper (two pinches).
• Into the blender then add 3 cups of vegetable broth (can be done in batches if blender is too full).
• Blend on high until creamy and warmed through. (If you would like to thin your base at this point, add more both until desired consistency is met)
• Add 1-2 Tbsp of cream cheese and cinnamon to taste. Short burst stir on blender.
• Transfer all to a large stock pot. Heat until piping hot while tasting. Here add more cinnamon, salt, pepper, or maple syrup to taste.  

Side notes on this recipe:

• If this is the first time making this, try a bit less garlic. It is always easier to add ingredients as you can never take them away.
• I have made this recipe for years and have gotten a bit more creative over time. I have used agave syrup instead of maple syrup (only because I did not realize I was out). And have also added a dash of bourbon 😉. Get creative but don’t give up if the first time is not exactly how you want it.
• This soup freezes remarkable well and for those that work long hours, or travel a great deal, this is the perfect item to store in smaller batches in your freezer.