The other night my girlfriends and I had our sorta monthly dinner club.  We bring a dish that is partially made or not made yet and we cook dinner together.  It was at a smaller house with a smallish kitchen, so I wanted to have my dish mostly made by the time I got there.

It was a Fall theme, so I decided to make butternut squash soup in the crockpot.  After perusing several recipes online, I mashed a few together to come up with this one.  I had a small butternut squash and several large buttercup, so I used both types of squash for this recipe.  Feel free to use just one or the other.

The soup was really flavorful and creamy.  Add in the toppings of goat cheese and GOOD aged balsamic (syrupy and sweet).  That is what lifts it to a new level of YUM.

It was a big hit and everyone loved it!

I prepped it the night before and put everything in the crockpot.  I popped the crockpot in the heater before I left for work, so it was minimal work in the morning.

Recipe:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1 buttercup squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1 onion, minced
2-3 sage leaves
1 box chicken stock
3 tart apples, peeled and cubed
1 apple juice box (probably about 1 cup)
2 TBSP brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (a couple of shakes)
¼ cup heavy cream
3 oz (about ¼ – 1/3 brick) lite cream cheese

Topping:
Goat cheese
Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Sauté the onions in a little oil until done. I have put the onion raw into the crockpot before and it can lead to a very oniony flavor.

Combine with the rest of the ingredients up to the cream in a crock pot. Heat on low for 8 hours.

When done, take out about 1 ½ cups of the broth. You can add it back in if you want a thinner soup after you puree it. Puree with an immersion blender or blend in a regular blender in batches (leave off the top piece or it will explode from the heat).  I like to get it nice and smooth, but you can leave more chunks in if you want it to have more texture. Add in more broth if you want it thinner.

Add in the heavy cream and cream cheese.

Top with goat cheese, a drizzle of aged balsamic and serve with some chunks of crusty bread.