Humble Homemaking: Butternut Squash Soup

I had leftover butternut squash bechamel sauce from the mac & cheese, so I decided to make some butternut squash soup. I know what you're thinking, "Butternut squash soup? It's summer, not winter!" Yes, but I had to do something with my squash. I couldn't just let it go to waste.

Recipe

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed

2 fresh sage leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 medium canned plum tomatoes (I use Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes-THE BEST!!)

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, halved, seeded, and diced

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, sage, 1 teaspoon of the salt and season with pepper, to taste. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

Raise heat to medium-high, add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the tomatoes break up and the onions brown slightly, about 7 minutes.

(It was steaming so much I couldn't get a clear picture!)

This is normally where you would add the squash and the remaining teaspoon salt, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 12 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, or with an immersion blender. Return the soup to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

Instead, I just mixed the butternut squash sauce into the blended tomato and onion puree.

Then I added the vinegar. The recipe says you can sprinkle the Parmesan cheese here, but the butternut squash sauce already had cheese in it so I didn't add anymore.