Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is a house favorite because it's simple, quick, and easy - the kind of fix-it-and-forget-it meal that the slow cooker is designed for. 

Ingredients:

• about 6 cups of chopped butternut squash
• 4 cups veggie stock
• 2 cups cooked white beans (cannellini are great - something that will fall apart!)
• spices to your preference (we like garlic, onion powder, and a dash of cayenne or red pepper flakes)

The process:

Combine squash, beans, and stock in crock pot.  Cook on low heat for 8 hours - or longer, if need be.  The contents should be easily mashable.

Using either an immersion blender or a plain old potato masher, mush up the remaining chunks until soup is at a consistency you find appropriate.  (We tend to use the immersion blender and go smooth.)

Add spices to your taste.

Dish into bowls and add any toppings you'd like: croutons are always a good option.

Pro Tips:

This freezes beautifully. 

The yield will vary depending on just how much squash you have.  I usually just fill the crock pot, at this point.  Frozen squash also works fine, but you will need less stock if you use frozen.

You can, of course, add meat to this - usually after the puree step.  Ground turkey is good.