Healthy Recipes: Baja Butternut Squash Soup

Yield: 10 servings, about 3/4 cup each

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

To Make Ahead: Cover and refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days.

Recipe Description:

This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 pounds (1 small to medium) butternut or other winter squash
2. 1 teaspoon canola oil
3. 2 stalks celery, chopped
4. 1 small onion, diced
5. 1 carrot, chopped
6. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
7. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see Note)
8. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
9. 6 cups vegetable broth
10. 1 teaspoon sea salt
11. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12. 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
13. 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or chopped parsley

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut squash in half and seed. Place the halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out flesh when cool enough to handle.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the squash flesh, cumin, chipotle to taste and cloves. Add broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches) until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and sprinkle of chives (or parsley).

Recipe Tips & Notes:

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle can be found in the specialty-spice section of most supermarkets.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 60 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 3 g fiber; 768 mg sodium; 249 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (160% daily value), Vitamin A (20% dv).