Wintery butternut squash and pear soup, sweetened with maple syrup, is perfect for festive gatherings or weeknight meals, and is ideal for sipping from a mug après-ski, or when doing homework.
Butternut squash seems to be a polarizing ingredient. People either love it or immediately wrinkle their noses when it shows up at the dinner table. But paired with pear (no pun intended), piled high with croutons or seeds and served with fresh bread, it's the creamy comfort food your family didn't know they needed.
Ingredients for Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 ripe pear or tart apple, peeled, cored and diced
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
1/2–1 cup half & half or whipping cream
2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
1/2 tsp sage or
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions for Butternut Squash and Pear Soup
- In a large saucepan or small pot, heat oil and butter over medium-high. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 min, until soft and translucent. Add the squash, pear, stock, cinnamon stick, a pinch of salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, until squash is very tender. Remove cinnamon stick.
- Add cream, maple syrup, sage and salt, and puree with a hand-held immersion blender right in the pot (alternatively, you can carefully transfer in batches to a blender and puree until smooth).
- Taste and adjust seasonings and serve hot. Finish with a sprinkling of toasted seeds, a pile of crunchy croutons or even a handful of pomegranate seeds for sweet, festive flair.
Serves 6.
Per serving: 170 calories, 8 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat, 3.8 g monounsaturated fat, 0.8 g polyunsaturated fat), 19.6 g carbohydrates, 17 mg cholesterol, 5.6 g protein, 2.7 g fibre.
Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, November 2013.
