Oh, my goodness. Oh. My. Goodness.

I’ve had this soup planned for a while now, and oddly enough this last weekend some butternut squash soup was served to me at The King’s Feast of The Texas Renaissance Festival. I had never had butternut squash soup before then, but I immediately fell in love. It was thick and rich and served with some sort of toasted seed and herb topping.

It was such a good soup that I thought I would have dreams about it that night.

I was a bit curious when I got home if the recipe that I had come up with would be anything similar to the amazing one that I had at the feast. Needless to say I was somewhat skeptical that so few of ingredients would actually come together to make such an amazing soup.

This soup was absolutely fantastic! It was thick and rich and full of flavor, just like the one at the feast. The soup needed nothing at all, but I happened to have some fresh pesto, leftover bacon, pumpkin seeds and some seeds from my butternut squash that needed toasting – I just had to use those things up. What better way than to top an already ridiculously great soup?

What’s even better about this soup is that it’s easy and super low in calories, though you would never guess it was healthy in any aspect by how great it tastes.

Sneaky, sneaky butternut squash… how I love you.

Like I said, this soup doesn’t need any help, but I really enjoyed the added flavor and crunch of the toppings that I chose.

Seriously, if you’re going to make one soup this fall… let it be this one!

I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Skinny Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 3 • Size: About 1 1/2 C. Soup • Calories: 159.4 • Fat: 2.5 g • Carb: 33.8 g • Fiber: 8 g • Protein: 4.5 g • Sugar: 8.7 g • Sodium: 326.6 mg

Ingredients:
2 Lb. Butternut Squash
4 Tsp. Light Butter, Divided
1 Medium Apple, Peeled & Chopped
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
4 Fresh Sage Leaves
1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme
1 1/2 Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 Water
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Milk
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Optional Toppings: Chopped Reduced Sodium Center Cut Bacon, Skinny Spinach & Basil Pesto, Pumpkin Seeds and Butternut Squash Seeds.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

Cut the squash in half and scoop the seeds and pulp out.

You can discard the seeds or use them for something else. I like to bake my seeds with some salt and seasonings along with the squash.

Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet and place 1 tsp. butter over each half. Season the squash with some salt and pepper to taste and place into the oven to bake for about an hour or until the squash is tender and cooked through.

While the squash is baking, place the remaining 2 tsp. of butter into a large sauce pan and melt it over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add in the apple, onion, garlic, sage leaves, and thyme.

Saute until all is softened, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool enough to be handled.

Scoop the squash from the shell and place it into the sauce pan along with the cooked apple and onion mixture. Discard the flesh of the squash.

Add the water and broth to the sauce pan and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Place the pan over a high heat and bring it all to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, then cover and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the milk.

Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup.

You may need to do this in batches if using a standard blender. Also, be sure that you remove the small cap for the ‘vent’ at the top of the blender and cover with a towel to prevent hot soup explosions.

Divide the soup evenly among bowls.

Garnish and serve right away!