Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup

My friend, Ally (the Wandering Hen), mentioned to me the other day that she found a Chipotle Butternut Squash soup recipe that sounded amazing. Since soup, butternuts, and chipotle chiles are some of my favorite foods, I knew I had to make that soup. I was also pretty happy because it wasn't a sweet squash soup. After my other butternut soup disappointment, I decided I would go the savory route from then on.  

So thank you, Ally! Without you this soup would not be possible! Who knows how many years would have passed before I stumbled upon such an idea!

I got this recipe from Vivek's Epicurean Adventures. It's a very meat-centered blog that, to be honest, I'm not really that interested in, but this recipe (with the except of the optional dollop of cream) was accidentally vegan. However, due to his blog I found a link to Enjoy Indian Food. It's a seriously authentic Indian food blog and I will definitely be coming back for more of that!

Anywho, about the only addition I made to this soup was to leave out the cilantro and add in some great northern beans for some protein. They're kind of a mild bean so I figured they'd blend in quite well. I'm also forgoing the ancho chili powder and lime zest, because I don't have any and instead graced the soup with some toasted pepitas.

I had been waiting on this soup all day long! I couldn't wait to get out of class and start working on it. I'm so excited to be eating it at the moment I'm typing this!

Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup:
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 Tb. garlic, minced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Toasted pepitas
Sea salt and white pepper to taste

1. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat in a soup pot with a little nonstick spray or oil.
2. Add the garlic, chipotle chiles, and cumin seed and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the butternut squash, beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft. It's okay if there's not a lot of liquid in there. That's how you want it to be.
4. Once the vegetables are soft, use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup smooth. You may need to work in batches.
5. Return the soup to the pot and allow to reheat a little if it's gotten too cool for your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top each bowl with toasted pepitas. Enjoy!

Just a note: Chipotle chiles are spicy, so if you don't like that much heat you can reduce the chiles down to one. However, if you're like me and you like to sweat while you eat, you can add more. I used three, but I wouldn't recommend any more than that, otherwise it gets a little bitter.

I served this soup with some homemade whole wheat cloverleaf rolls! Rolls are super easy to make. I'll post that recipe within the week. I'm also going to be making some seitan chili and some smoky split pea soup (with more of them there chiles!). Have a great night!