Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

A delightfully rich-tasting soup. My husband likes this soup so much he refers to all butternut squashes as soup now. I recommend this with the silken tofu instead of milk - it adds protein to a fiber-rich soup, and no one will know it's there if you don't tell them! Serve warm with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan or Romano and some crusty toasted bread on the side.

• Preparation Time: 35 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 225 Calories

Ingredients

• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 cup diced red onion
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 6 cups butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth, or as needed
• 1 green chile pepper, halved lengthwise (Optional)
• 1 cup silken tofu, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and enough vegetable broth to cover. Stir in the thyme, ginger, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and chile pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 2

Remove and discard the chile pepper. Pour about 1/3 of the soup and 1/3 of the tofu into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Repeat with the remaining soup and tofu. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup and tofu right in the cooking pot.