Slow cooker butternut squash and apple soup recipe

Butternut squash, ready for soup. Levork: Creative Commons)

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Fall Vegetable Recipes

• Butternut Squash Stew with Turkey Sausage

• Portobello Mushroom Soup Recipe

• Honey Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

• Eggplant Dip Recipe

Squash and apples may seem like an unusual contrast in tastes, but when you think about it, autumn itself is a study in contrasts.

In Tennessee, we still have fairly warm, almost summery weather, even though the muti-colored leaves are decidedly ready for fall. During this season we have both the madness of Halloween and the peace of Thanksgiving family reunions, the frenzy of the high-adrenaline Volunteer football season, and the relaxing calm of a warm evening's campfire.

The pairing of crisp, tart apples with the buttery subtlety of butternut squash sums up the contradictions of the season in one dish. And what a dish it is! The seemingly mis-matched ingredients mingle together in the slow cooker to make a slightly sweet, sensationally savory soup.

The health benefits of butternut squash are substantial. Naturally low in calories (about 60 calories per whole cup) and devoid of fat, butternut squash has one half of your daily requirement of Vitamin C in one serving, and three times the daily requirement of Vitamin A.

Using the crock-pot makes this recipe a cinch, and you can let it simmer away while you rake leaves or do some early Christmas shopping. While this is an appropriate dish to make now, no one will blame you if you file it away for Thanksgiving. It will make a beautiful dinner starter for a holiday meal.

This squash and apple soup is also suitable for vegans and vegetarians, so make extra if you're having lots of guests: it can do double-duty as a vegetarian main dish in a pinch. Be sure and have hot, grainy bread and salad or vegetables on hand to make it a full meal.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash (about 1 average squash), cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 lbs red-skin potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cans vegetable broth (about 4 cups)
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in the crock of your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or high 2-3 hours, until potatoes and squash are tender. Serves four.

Variations:

• Make your squash and apple soup more savory by adding a teaspoon of curry powder.
• Make it sweeter by substituting apple juice for half of the vegetable broth.
• Turn the soup into a heartier entree by adding vegetarian sausage or turkey sausage that has been briefly browned in a skillet.

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