Butternut Squash Leek Soup

Submitted by karen

"I got this recipe from Cooking Light. I made it according to the recipe directions, except it was the first time I cooked with leeks and I think I used a little of the dark green parts. The magazine picture showed it as orange, and mine came out a little oniony, and green, but it was still good. I'd love reviews to see what you think."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 whole head of garlic
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups leeks, thinly sliced (about 2 large, white & light green only)
• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed (1 large or 2 medium)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

directions

1. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap in foil and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes.
2. Separate cloves and squeeze to extract garlic. Discard skins.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat.
4. Add leek & sauté for 5 minutes or until tender.
5. Stir in garlic, squash, water, broth, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
7. Place half the mixture in blender. Remove the center piece on blender lid to allow steam to escape. Cover the opening with a towel and blend until smooth.
8. Repeat for remaining mixture.

Reviews

[debbieltd]

I also used lovetoeat's suggestions and added 1 chopped parnsip, 1 chopped carrot, some curry powder, coriander and then a little cayenne to heat things up. I also used 4 c. of homemade vegetable stock instead of chicken broth/water. It was a creamy delight that I topped with cilantro sprigs and a swirl of plain yogurt for the win! YUM!

 

[gick561]

I omitted the water, but doubled the broth. I also used lovetoeat's suggestion of adding carrots. Since I didn't have any garlic I sauteed some onions in with the leek and the end result was delicious!

 

[Lovetoeat]

Good base. I just added one large carrot, one large parsnip and a dash of curry and coriander for an Indian flavor. Didn't bake garlic but instead added 5 minced garlic cloves to the leek saute. Did add 1/2 c more chicken broth which turned out to be the perfect consistency. May need to salt to taste. Color was subtle orange, beautiful!

 

[CookinDiva]

We liked this recipe - would consider it a fairly basic recipe that is low-fat and healthy. It would be great for people who like smooth pureed soups that are not too complicated. One note is that when using leeks, you only use the white part and a little bit of the light green - and they are a bit expensive. I bought two large leeks and they yielded about 2 C. sliced leeks (the recipe calls for 4 cups). Also, my final soup was very thick after pureeing it in the blender, so I needed to add another cup of chicken broth. The colors are very pretty - hope you enjoy the photo.

 

[KarenEve]

I recently made this for a local supper club gathering and got a number of raves! Only changes I opted for included using about 3 cups of a rich chicken broth with a little less than 1/2 cup of water. Also, I only used the white and light green parts of the leeks and the soup came out as a light-med orange color. I also used more roasted garlic than the recipe called for...more like 1-1/2 heads, and added a healthy dash of Italian seasonings. And finally, I pureed the soup very well in the blender. I will absolutely make this wonderful dish again.