Skip the Store and Make This Slow Cooker Squash Soup with Just a Few Pantry Staples
Stay cozy indoors with this super simple, winter-ready soup that's made with ingredients you already have on hand.
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There’s really nothing better than wrapping your hands around a warm bowl of soup when you’ve come home from a day outdoors in winter weather. Opt for a homemade soup that’s made with in-season ingredients and plenty of fresh, herbaceous flavor, and you’re in for an even better – and more satisfying – meal. That’s what you’ll get when you make our Easy Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup.
This cozy, soul-soothing soup does take hours of slow simmering to come together into a creamy, colorful veggie-rich meal. But it doesn’t require very much effort. It’s made in a slow cooker, which means you can prep all of the ingredients, then toss them into your crockpot and head out the door (or hang out at home). And, as an added bonus, it requires just a few simple ingredients, most of which you likely already have sitting in your kitchen.
Butternut squash, a winter staple, makes up the base of this easy soup. Add in chicken broth, an apple, an onion and some of our favorite spices – garlic, rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf – and that’s it. You’ll save yourself a trip to the grocery store and still be able to make one pretty impressive soup any night of the week. And if you have extra squash on hand, you can make extra and freeze it so you can heat up a bowl on the chilliest evenings.
Easy Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 1 (3-lb) butternut squash, cut lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided use
- 1 small apple, peeled and cored
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- Black pepper and sea salt, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rub the squash on all sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle the salt on the cut sides of the squash. Place, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Remove pan from oven and allow the squash to cool for 15 minutes. Once cooled, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in a slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add 3 cups of the chicken broth, the apple, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, a pinch of pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, carefully purée the soup until smooth. If the soup is too thick, add additional chicken broth until soup reaches your desired consistency. Serve.
Recipe courtesy of Paleo Magazine