Butternut Squash Soup

It's soup season! I love fall. The leaves changing, the weather getting cooler (although it's gotten cold to fast for me this year), and the general bout of excitement that seems to be in the air for the rest of the year because there are so many awesome holidays over the next few months! I'm not usually a craver of soup but I feel like our family has been sick with something new every couple of weeks this season so we have been enjoying A LOT of soup at this house. There is just something about being sick and eating an awesome bowl of soup that makes everything in your body feel better, for the 10 minutes it takes to eat it 😁
Anyone who knows me well knows that fall flavors are generally not my favorite. I avoid Pinterest at all costs once September hits because all I see on there is "Pumpkin this" and "Squash that". Pumpkins should be carved...not eaten...JUST KIDDING! I came across this recipe in a cookbook and it screamed fall flavors. Like I stated above, I usually go right by a recipe like this, BUT, for some odd reason I decided nope we are going to try it. GUYS!!!! I am so glad I did. Who knew butternut squash could actually taste okay?! 😂
This soup has so many "warm" spices in it that roast in the oven with the butternut squash helping the squash to develop some really tasty flavors! So if you are looking for a delicious soup that screams fall, you need to give this one a try.

2 (16 oz) bags pre-cut butternut squash
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned coconut milk
3/4-1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.

2. Spread the butternut squash evenly over a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 TBSP melted coconut oil, cinnamon and nutmeg and toss to evenly coat. Cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes (or until tender).

3. When the squash is just about done, heat a large stockpot to medium heat. Add remaining 1 TBSP coconut oil and allow to heat up. Add the shallots and allow to cook until soft, roughly 3 minutes. (Make sure to stir to prevent burning).

4. When the shallots are ready and the squash is tender, add the squash to the pot along with vegetable broth and coconut milk. Allow mixture to simmer roughly 5 minutes to combine flavors.

5. Use an immersion blender** (see notes) to puree the soup so that it is smooth and creamy.

6. Season with salt and pepper and serve. To serve I like to take some additional coconut milk and drizzle it around the top.

**Randi's Side Notes**
~ If you don't have an immersion blender you can use your blender. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to ladle it in batches.
~ I topped my soup with some toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened). I didn't feel like it was necessary to the dish, but it did help it look pretty

This recipe was adapted from The SkinnyTaste Cookbook