Best Butternut Squash Soup

I love butternut squash. I love making soup with it most of all but even if you buy the biggest squash you can find it doesn't make quite enough soup on its own. Here's what I do so there's enough leftovers to go in the freezer.

First take off any labels and quarter your butternut lengthwise. Rub it with some oil and a little salt and stick it flesh side up in a 375° oven for an hour. It'll get nice and soft and just a little brown around the edges. The next part will be easier if you then let it cool down but I don't usually have time for that.

Grab 4 or 5 potatoes and 3 or 4 large carrots. Peel and quarter them and stick them in a pot. Just barely cover them with chicken (or veggie) stock and boil until its all nice and soft. If you have an immersion blender the next part is SO EASY. Don't drain the stock. Just cream it all in the pot. If you don't have an immersion blender (I highly recommend you get one), do what I used to do and pour it in your blender or food processor, trying not to scald yourself or get orange crap everywhere. Blend until smooth and return to the pot.

Heat up about 2 cups of milk in the microwave. Again, if you've got a stick blender this is simple. If not, well its a mess but worth it. Immersion blender folks will scoop their butternut flesh out of the peels and right into the pot of potato carrot goo. Slowly add milk while blending until you get the texture you like. You may not end up using all 2 cups. Food processor folks will blend in that with hot milk until creamy and then pour into pot of creamed potato carrot and stir until it is all incorporated.

Now you have lots of soup! Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and even a few pinches of curry powder until it tastes like heaven. While the pot is warming on low, keep stirring now and then so the milk doesn't scald.

These rolls are pretty easy and only take about 30 minutes.

To make crunchy kale topping take some washed and chopped kale and rub it in a little bit of vegetable oil. Add some salt. Spread out on a cookie sheet and stick in a 375° oven for maybe 10-15 minutes. It was quicker than I was expecting and I didn't actually time it. Some of the smaller pieces were brown but not burnt and it was all nice and crunchy and salty. I would eat it on its own as a snack but it was especially good as a soup garnish.

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