Butter Bean - Butternut Squash Soup

Thanks to Talea Bloom for this beautiful photo.

Butter beans and butternut squash are well-named - they both taste especially creamy. This savory winter soup, which is a combination of Midwest winter staples and southeast Asian flavors, was a hit at a friend's holiday party. Luckily, she shared the recipe with all of us. We hope you love it as much as we did!

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion - diced
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
3 tbsp Fresh ginger - peeled and diced
4 cloves Garlic- finely chopped
1 large Butternut squash- peel, seed, chop into 1 inch cubes
28-oz can butter beans – drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste (a pepper medley is preferred, as black pepper on its own has very little flavor, but red, green and white peppercorns add a lot of pizzazz.)
3 cups garlic croutons

Directions

Heat your soup pot for 90 seconds or until hot, turn down heat to medium, add olive oil then diced onion and bell pepper. Sauté  until translucent, 3-5 minutes but not until browned.

Next add ginger, garlic, squash, beans, stock, and basil. Simmer about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Turn down heat to warm. Use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup so it becomes completely creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste (note: beans and butternut squash need a healthy dose of salt to shine - don't be stingy!). Serve hot with garlic croutons sprinkled on top.

Serves 8-10.