Butternut Squash Soup (With Sweet Potato and White Beans)

Believe it or not, until tonight, I had never had butternut squash soup! I have been inspecting and researching what feels like THOUSANDS of butternut squash recipes for the past week. I saw loads of simple, next to nothing except squash, broth and some flavoring, to using a gallon of some sort of milk product to make it "creamy", which made me gag just thinking about. So, I started with the simple one, thought about what I could do to spruce it up with some serious flavor, vegan "creamy-ness" (sweet potato), and also add a little protein so I could use this as the main course. It was spectacular! Everything you would hope to have from an autumn "comfort dish", minus the guilt! This is definitely getting added to our home's "staples". It was cheap, filling, and we have tons for left over lunches! 

I served this delicious soup with a few slices of whole wheat french bread (happy medium for my unhealthy french bread addiction LOL) and an Asian salad. It was an amazing dinner, and I am already looking forward to lunch for the leftovers. 

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash - peeled and cubed (I slice through the side, in 1 1/2 in. increments, then peel and cube from there)
• 4 garlic cloves (small - use 2 if very large) - diced
• 1 yellow onion - chopped 
• 4 - 6 cups vegetable broth (depending on how thick of a consistency you are going for)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 can white beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 sweet potato - peeled and cubed

• Dried parsley, thyme and pumpkin seeds to dress (optional - fresh would be great as well)

What you do:

• In large pot - add olive oil, onion and garlic
• Stir on high, for 4-5 minutes, until onions are translucent

• Add cubed squash, sweet potato and vegetable broth
• Stirring occasionally, bring mixture to a boil
• Once boiling, add white beans and garlic salt
• Reduce to a medium (still bubbling) simmer

• Leave simmering for 20-25 minutes (until very tender)
• Once done, pour contents into blender - blend on high until smooth
• I dressed with dried parsley, thyme and spicy pumpkin seeds
• Tastes amazing to dip whole wheat french bread in