Curried Butternut Soup

You can make this rich soup with any kind of squash, or even sweet potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup and 2 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 8  cups  cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 2  cups  chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 1/2  cups  finely chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  thinly sliced celery
• 1  bay leaf
• 2  teaspoons  curry powder
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 3  (14 1/2-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange squash in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add apple, onion, celery, and bay leaf; sauté 10 minutes. Stir in curry powder and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add squash, broth, and salt; stir well.

Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Partially mash mixture with a potato masher until thick and chunky; stir well with a spoon. Top each serving with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

270 (27% from fat)

Fat:

8.2g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

10.4g

Carbohydrate:

42.7g

Fiber:

9.8g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

783mg

Calcium:

221mg