This butternut squash and ginger soup is so warming, delicious, and nutritious. 

What I love about this butternut squash and ginger soup, besides the fact that it is so nutritious and delicious, is that you can have just about as much of it as you'd like without worrying about the calorie count.

There are times when you want something super filling but not calorie laden, especially after the holidays or a vacation. This soup is perfect for that. Plus, I completely love the head clearing zing from the fresh ginger.

You can make this soup as thick or as thin as you want to suit your taste, just by adding more broth at the end before serving. I like it thicker when freshly made, and I like to thin out the leftovers with extra broth. Am I weird?

I've had a very occasional bowl of butternut squash soup in a restaurant, but I've never actually cooked or baked with butternut squash, until now. If you'd asked me to identify it in a line up, I would have probably failed.... until my cousin, who grows just about everything you can imagine in her hillside cantilevered personal "farm" in southern California came along (this is the same cousin who brings me Alaskan seafood, I am not worthy). Every time we get together, she presents all of us with boxes full of fresh produce. How fortunate are we! This time it was butternut squash.

Guess what? Butternut squash is delicious! You can even substitute it for the pumpkin in a pumpkin pie!

My friend Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm just started a new group, Soup Saturday Swappers, or #soupswappers. If you like soup, you're in luck. On the third Saturday of each month, we'll be posting soups based on a theme. This month's theme is "healthy." If you want more nutritious soup recipes, be sure to scroll all of the way down to check out the link up after my recipe for more nutritious soups! I know you'll love what you find.

I served this soup with slices of this wonderful mini ciabatta. 

Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 pounds (about 2) butternut squash, halved lengthwise, peeled, and seeded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced brown onions
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cups (plus more as needed) low sodium chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 tablespoon of the oil over a half sheet pan. Place the squash, cut side down onto the baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes, until completely softened and tender.
2. Cut the squash into 2 inch square pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat and add the onions, sugar, garlic, and cinnamon, and cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until onions are softened and tender. Add the squash and the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to "low," cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Alternatively, if you have a great immersion blender, blend the mixture in the Dutch oven.
4. Return the soup to the pan, salt and pepper to taste, bring to a simmer for a few minutes, and thin it with more broth if you prefer. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Recipe inspired from Bon Appetit, October, 1998 (yes, I've been saving recipes forever)

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