Yummy squash soup

Here in Calgary the weather has gotten cold and in this kind of weather there is nothing better than a nice warm bowl of soup. We are usually used to having a chicken noodle or other generic type of soup so a soup with squash and apples is a fantastic change.

POINTS 3
Servings 10
Prep Time 20 min
Cooking Time 90 min


side dishes | This soup highlights some of fall's best gifts: fresh apples and sugar-sweet squash. It's delicious made with pears instead of apples, too.

Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp ginger root, grated
1 medium leek(s), white part only, coarsely chopped
4 3/4 oz frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted), about 1/2 cup
3 large apple(s), Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 pound butternut squash, peeled, cut into chunks and seeded (1 large or 2 small squash)
4 cup canned chicken broth, divided
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup fat-free half and half

Instructions
1. Combine ginger, leek and apple juice concentrate in a large pot; cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes. Add apples, squash and 1 cup of broth; cover and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour.

2. Purée soup in pot using a hand-held immersion blender. Or purée soup in a blender in small batches (be careful not to splatter the hot liquid) and return the puréed soup to the pot.

3. Add remaining 3 cups of broth, salt and pepper; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in half and half and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

4. This recipe is part of our Make Ahead Soups, Chilies and Stews series. To learn more about this cook-and-freeze feature, click here.

Notes
Partially cooking a hard-shell squash makes it easier to peel. Pierce the gourd in several places with a fork, microwave on HIGH for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on size, and then peel.