I'm Not a Soup Snob, but...

Lauren Marie’s Gluten Free

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup

A few things happen once fall arrives: Football season takes over.  There's a slight chill in the air. Fall wreaths and pumpkins are everywhere.  And at least for me, the soup cravings begin.

You know how you really know it's fall in my house? When I make the first batch of steaming hot chicken and sausage gumbo. I always wait for just the right time to make my take on my husband's grandfather's recipe.  It can not be rushed.  There has to be just enough of a chill in the air and the fresh okra at the grocery store have to be beautiful.  Then, I know it's right.





But even before the first gumbo batch, there are a series of soup cravings that hit.
But recently, it's been different.
Very different.

The soup cravings aren't as easy to satisfy as before.  Soup from a can just isn't cutting it anymore.  For instance, one fall September day I was hit hard with a butternut squash soup craving.  I remember like it was yesterday. It was a busy day and I wasn't going to be home until after dinner time.



So, my thoughtful husband said he would run to the grocery store and pick up some good quality soup for a fast and easy dinner.  I planned on making some gluten free garlic bread and we were going to call it a night.

Sounds easy enough, right?



My sweet husband bought home two different butternut squash soups for me.  He held those soups up in the air like a proud papa, stating that he had read all the ingredients of the soups and these were the healthiest gluten free options.

Starved... we wasted no time in heating up the soup on the stove.  In 10 minutes, hot soup and gluten free garlic bread was served.  I was so excited to eat the butternut squash soup and finally satisfy my craving.


I took one big spoonful, blew off the steam, and placed the wonderful, hot orange soup on my tongue.  Yes, this is what I had... waited... for?  Hold up, wait, hold the phone, stop the train... that was it? It was milky and it hardly tasted like butternut squash.  So, I tried the other can... same thing. Where was the beautiful bold flavor I was looking for?


To make a long story short... I ate a lot of gluten free garlic bread and went to bed still craving butternut squash soup.

In the morning, I read the back of the soup cans.  There were like 15 ingredients.  No wonder you couldn't taste the butternut squash!  There were too many other flavors competing for your attention.  After that experience, I wanted something simple and pure.

So, I created my own Hearty Butternut Squash Soup.  I found that roasting the butternut squash with red onions and an apple was just the ticket to get that bold flavor I was so desperately wanting.

It's a recipe I make over and over again during the fall and winter seasons.  Now, when a butternut squash soup craving hits, I know exactly what to do!