Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Buttered Sage Crisps

It has been sooooo cold in Portland the past few days! We even got snow!!! You'd think, living in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) that Portland would see a lot of snow, but I'm learning that we barely get any! And, on top of that, the temperature usually doesn't get very low (at least not like what I'm used to from back home). So the fact that it's been below freezing the past few days and we had snow TWO WHOLE DAYS IN A ROW is kind of a big deal. 

An even bigger deal is this soup. Oh my god it's good! And it's not bad for you either!! Well, I had to dress it up a little and add the brown butter sage crisps, so it might be a little bad for you, but the soup itself is so light that you can eat a bunch and not feel bad! How? Well, its made simply enough from roasted butternut squash, chicken broth and 1 cup of nonfat milk. Spice it up a bit with some salt, pepper and nutmeg and it's probably becoming one of my new favorite winter soups! Top it off with those crispy sage leaves and you've got a pretty delicious soup for a cold night in!

I hope it's warmer where you are, but if not, go make this and you'll instantly warm up!

                          

Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Buttered Sage Crisps

Olive Oil Spray

1 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 cups chicken broth
1tsp nutmeg
1 cup nonfat milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

6-7 Sage leaves

1 Tblsp butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil. Peel squash and chop into 1-2 inch pieces. Bake until squash is tender, about 45 minutes.

Put squash pieces into food processer with about 1/2 cup chicken broth and nutmeg and puree until smooth. Transfer puree to heavy large saucepan. Mix in milk and enough broth to thin to desired consistency. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. 

In a small frying pan, put 1 tblsp of butter and heat over medium high. As the butter starts to heat up and bubble, add the sage leaves. Stir consistently until the butter starts to brown and the sage darkens slightly. Take off heat and top soup with 2-3 sage crisps and drizzle the brown butter over the soup. 

ENJOY!!