Creamy, Yummy Butternut Squash Soup... Thank you CookingLight

                                  

I found this recipe a few years ago in Cooking Light for a delicious butternut squash soup.  It’s definitely the best one I’ve found to date, and at 330 calories per serving it’s incredibly filling and creamy.  I love this magazine and make lots of meals for my friends and fam from it every month.  Here is the recipe, courtesy of www.cookinglight.com.

        Ingredients

      2  tablespoons  butter
      5  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
      2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
      1  teaspoon  kosher salt
      1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
      2  cups  sliced leek (about 2 medium)
      4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
      1  cup  half-and-half
      3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
      3  tablespoons  chopped chives
      Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Melt your butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add squash, potato, salt and pepper to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add the leek and sauté for 1 minute.  Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is cooked, making sure to stir occasionally.  Then (and this is where I do the steps a little differently from the mag), take your immersion blender to the soup and blend until the soup is almost smooth.  It’s nice to have a few small chunks of veggies left.  Stir in the half-and-half and then serve when you’re ready to eat!

Cooking Light also recommends crunchy toast with a slice of Gruyere cheese melted on top.  YUM!