Nothing says fall like butternut squash soup.  I’ve been pretending it hasn’t been 85 degrees in Southern California by making soups weekly.  Soups are easy comfort food and this one is no different.  If you haven’t made homemade soup before, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is.  If you haven’t made butternut squash soup, well, let’s rethink those life choices.  And if you’re reading this in Minnesota or somewhere else getting snow this week, I think you’re going to want to stock up on butternut squash soup…winter is coming.

Butternut squash is a hard squash, so I like to roast my squash first (seeds removed).  The squash is ready when it is soft enough to scoop into a big pot.  Have you noticed how things just get extra flavor when roasting, too? I like to think it takes this soup to another level.

Add the vegetable broth (chicken broth works too), diced onions, seasonings and let everything simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes.  While it’s simmering, heat the walnuts in a skillet with the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the sugar begins to caramelize. It will probably bubble a bit and will be sticky.  That’s some very official cooking terminology for you.

Using an immersion bender (my tool of choice for soups), blend the soup until almost smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender and transfer the squash/broth mixture in batches.  That is a lot more work and I encourage you to spend the $30-40 and buy a basic immersion blender. It’ll get the job done, and I like to limit the work for myself. I want to do that for you too! The faster the food gets to my mouth, the better.  Once the soup is almost smooth, give it a stir and serve it in bowls topped with a few of the cinnamon toasted walnuts. Soups on!