THE BEST SLOW COOKER BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP...

If we were face to face and you asked me what I was smiling about these days, I would say fall. I am SO excited that fall is here. It's my favorite season - and even if it wasn't, it would probably become my favorite because I feel like we all fried to death this summer! 

Anyway, one of my favorite things to do in the fall is curl up on the couch in a warm blanket and eat soup while watching TV. I recently found and tried a soup recipe that I'll be doing just that with this season. Butternut squash and in-season apples are two of my favorite fall vegetables. I adore them And I adore my slow cooker - like more than life - especially now that I cook ALL the time. I recently found this butternut squash soup recipe that uses all of those things and it is so good!!! It has earthiness from the butternut squash, garlic, cinnamon, and sage. It has a good amount of sweetness from the fresh Granny Smith apple, and it has a little richness from the splash of creamy coconut milk that is stirred in right at the end. It's easy to make, makes your house smell divine, and warms your soul. It's kinda perfect... :)

Prep Time: 15 minutes (YES!!)
Cook Time: 3-4 hours (using the high setting)
Gluten-Free, Vegan

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven


Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable stock 
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed (or minced if you don't have a garlic press)
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 1 medium butternut squash, uncooked, peeled and diced (I peel mine with a y-shaped peeler and dice it with a sharp knife!)
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk

Directions

• Add the vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, cinnamon, and salt to the slow cooker. Stir. You might feel like you need to add more stock, but you don't!! 

• Cook on high for about 3 hours or low for 6-8 hours until the butternut squash is tender. 

• Once it is done, fish out the sage. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir to combine. Taste for seasonings and add more salt or cinnamon to taste. 

• If you want a chunkier soup (that's how I like it), use an immersion blender to blend the soup up while it's still in the slow cooker. If you want a creamier soup, transfer the soup in batches to a blender and blend until smooth. 

• Then, ladle some soup into a bowl. Drizzle a little more coconut milk on top if you prefer. Then curl up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of this soup and enjoy. It tastes even better when you eat it that way... :)

You might also like this Butternut Squash Black Bean Chili!

Images by me