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All blossoms today! until the soup runs out 😉

Although I’m not much of a squash person in general (which may be hard to believe if you know my family), I LOVE butternut squash soup. In fact, you can use pretty much any squash in place of butternut squash. I’ve had great results with banana squash, but I wouldn’t recommend spaghetti squash. I don’t think you would like the results: bleh.
My first encounter with squash soup was during my mission. I was in Salzburg in the fall and there was an activity where squash soup was served. Every woman in the ward had her own favorite recipe and several brought a pot of theirs to share. It was a delicious evening, but not without its consequences for someone as dairy intolerant as myself. Every recipe had dairy in it! But for good reason: the cream in the soup gave it a fantastic richness and creaminess.

Which is why I set out to find a dairy-free recipe that would hopefully be just as rich and creamy. And I did! The coconut oil I use provides the richness, and the potatoes provide the creamy texture.

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Coconut oil
• 1 medium butternut squash-peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
• salt, Worcestershire sauce, and ground mustard to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a large pot, turn heat to high and saute the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned (stirring frequently). 
2. Pour in the chicken broth. If it doesn’t cover the vegetables, then add water till it does (see photo). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
3. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy (Note: if you don’t have an immersion blender, then you can pour it into a traditional blender, blend till smooth, and then transfer it back to the pot. Exercise caution! Many a chef has burnt themselves pouring boiling liquid into a blender. ALWAYS cover the blender before switching on and hold the cover on with your hand over a folded towel.) 
4. Season to taste with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch or two of ground mustard and some salt.

Note: If you have a really large squash and can’t keep the soup good in your fridge long enough to finish it, freezing portions does work well, but it changes the texture of the soup to a really weird consistency, so you’ll need to warm it a little and blend it smooth again: then it’s just just like new!