I may have mentioned this before, but I am always so amazed at how quickly the weather turns this time of year. Last week it felt like summer and this week, much more seasonal. I finally pulled my annuals out of the front yard but sadly, I think I’m the only house in the neighborhood without a pumpkin, mums or a scarecrow in sight. I’ll have to turn that around this weekend.
Despite the fact that the outside of my house is not emanating fall feelings, the inside is. I’ve starting cooking more, always a sign that the days are getting shorter, and the soups are brewing. Soup is one of my favorite things to cook, especially this time of year. Not only can they be very nutrient dense, the can also be made in large batches (leftovers!) and are typically very warming on chilly evenings.
I was walking through the grocery store last weekend end the butternut squash soup starter kit caught my eye. How much lazier can you get? Seriously. But, hey, I’m typically short on time and this sounded so good. You will always pay a little more for pre-cut veggies, so when I got home, I took the time to sort out the separate vegetables (yes, I really did this) so in case your store doesn’t have this neat little package, or you want to save a couple bucks, you can recreate the same soup using the ingredients listed .
Follow this simple recipe below…
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon sage, chopped finely
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, diced
- 2 Medium carrots, chopped
- 2 Stalks celery, chopped
- 1 Small onion, diced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin (my addition)
- Salt
- Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large pot. Add vegetables, garlic and sage. Saute for a few minutes the add vegetable broth. Let simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully transfer the vegetables and the broth to a blender. You may have to break the batch in half if it all doesn’t fit into your blender at once. Add ground cumin directly to the blender and blend until creamy.
When all the ingredients were blended, I placed both batches into a smaller pot, added salt, pepper and kept warm until I was ready to serve. Serving this with some fresh cracked pepper and a garnish of sage is pleasing to the palate and the eye. The package also suggested serving with a dollop of sour cream as an option.
Enjoy!
Do you have certain recipes that you cook only in the fall?
What’s you favorite “harvest type” food?