Menu Monday: Butternut Squash soup w/ Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese

Once again, Happy Monday! If you're reading this than you already got through the hardest day of the week and are hopefully cuddled up on the couch with warm cider or a glass of wine. So let the unwinding continue as I tell you about our super yummy (always in my opinion) dinner tonight!

I'm not sure if naming it "Butternut Squash Soup" actually does this soup justice. It really is a medley of fall favorites including sweet potatoes, pumpkin and apples! If you are looking for your traditional Butternut Squash Soup then look away, this is not it. It is, however, one of my favorites! I first cooked this soup last fall and have since lost and forgotten much of the recipe. What I could remember, though, were the main ingredients. So tonight I experimented and I think it was a winner! To go with the soup I made a brie, apple and (turkey)bacon grilled cheese. Sooo gooood! Would have been even better with real bacon...

Butternut Squash (and sweet potato, pumpkin and apple) Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, halved and roasted and seeded
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, baked
• 1 can plain pumpkin puree (could just buy a pumpkin but I was getting lazy)
• 2 granny smith apples- peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground Thyme
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup beer (I used Sam Adams Boston Lager)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

Cut squash in half and roast flesh side up for 40 minutes at 400. Make sure flesh is soft when done, otherwise keep baking. At the same time, bake sweet potatoes wrapped in foil. While those are roasting, chop onion, garlic and apples and saute in olive oil (butter would be better!) until apples are soft. Scoop flesh of squash and sweet potato and add to the pot with onions and apples. Add butter and cook for a few minutes. Add in stock and stir. When mostly combined add brown sugar, milk and thyme. Cook 3 more minutes. In food processor or blender blend in batches entire pot of soup. Soup will be thick, transfer back to pot. Add in beer and bay leaf. Salt and Pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, green onions, crumbled bacon, or whatever your heart desires!

Do you have any tried and true butternut squash soup recipes? This recipe made a huge batch, so we will have it for dinner on Wednesday night, too! If I have leftovers after that I will freeze it in individual batches to pull out for lunch. Enjoy!

With Love,
L