Butternut Squash Soup

Yesterday I was craving butternut squash soup. I went to Trader Joes (the new one on 72nd and Broadway) last night on my way home from an afternoon out and, as always, bought way more food than I needed. By the time I lugged the three shopping bags FULL of food from TJs to my apartment in Washington Heights I was tired, hot and wet from the down pour that wouldn't stop last night. Needless to say, when I got home at 8 all I wanted to do was take a hot shower, put on my pjs and watch tv while listening to the rain.

I woke up this morning and the rain was still coming down. I don't have to work until 3:45 so I figured I'd make the soup and have it on hand for rainy days to come. I improvised on the recipe I had on hand and here is what I came up with. I call it Creamy Butternut Squash Soup.

Ingredients:

- 2 Leeks (white parts only) chopped

- 1 medium sized butternut squash (about 2-2 1/2 pounds) cut into 1 inch cubes

- 4 cups of chicken broth (I use low sodium so I can season to taste)

- 1 cup low fat sour cream

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add in chopped leeks to melted butter and cook until translucent (about 8-10 minutes).

3. Add cubed butternut squash and chicken broth to the butter/leek mixutre and reduce heat to a simmer.

4. Let the squash, leek and broth mixture cook until the squash is fork tender (about 20-25 minutes).

5. Once tender, use a slotted spoon to move the squash from the pot to a blender. Pour 2-3 laddles full of left over broth into blender as well - this will help everything blend together quickly and easily.

6. Pour the left over broth out (you can keep it if you want a thinner soup but I like mine to be a thicker consistency).

7. Return the pureed squash to the same pot and warm over a low heat.

8. Once the soup has reached a warmer temperature, stir in the low fat sour cream until completely incorporated.

9. Season to taste with salt and pepper (if you used low sodium broth you might need to season more than if you used a full-flavored broth).

10. Serve warm topped with a few Trader Joes Garlic and Cheese Croutons.

Enjoy!

This is the first recipe I have attempted to write out... if a step isn't clear, let me know so I can give more detail!