This week I have been having trouble getting back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving. I just sort of feel like I am moving through molasses. And one of the things I haven’t been so excited about doing is cooking- which is quite a rare thing for me. But dinner still needs to get on the table and lunches still need to be made (yay for husbands who are in charge of breakfasts!), so in an effort to motivate myself I set up a challenge: can I use up all the leftover herbs before they go bad? You see, in years past I have always struggled with this. Months later I will discover a plastic produce bag pushed back under the carrots that is filled with black, slimy something. It totally grosses me out and makes me feel guilty because I hate wasting food.
So yesterday’s challenge was the leftover sage. I decided to go with a slow-cooker butternut squash soup because that way I wouldn’t have to exert much effort AND I could also use up my remaining veggie stock—added bonus! Turned out to be such a huge hit that there weren’t even enough leftovers for my husband’s lunch. My older kiddo had THREE bowls of it at dinner last night and the little one cleaned his bowl (which is quite an accomplishment for him!).
This soup is incredibly simple to make. It took me all of 10 minutes to prep. I even took pictures to prove it.
The start of my prep time:
When I was done:
I complicated things a bit right before dinner time when I decided to make maple roasted chickpeas to go on top, which were also a huge hit. If you are going to make these to go on top, give yourself about 35-45 minutes for roasting time. And make extra—these are an awesome snack to have around and are a great treat in lunches!
This soup is awesomely simple and incredibly delicious (even if you don’t bother with the chickpeas). I highly recommend it!
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3 large or 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock (I used homemade, but you could also use the boxed or canned kind)
- ¼ cup sage, chopped
- 2 tbl maple syrup
- ½-¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¼-½ tsp nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Place the butternut squash, carrots, apple, onion, and sage together in the pot. Give a stir. Pour in the stock. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4. When the vegetables are done, use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot or transfer to a blender to puree. Add the maple syrup, spices, salt, and pepper. Season to taste and serve.
[…] I try to stock the freezer as well with extra casseroles, black bean burgers, freezer pockets, soups, stews, and sauces so that I have them to pull out when I need […]