Butternut Squash & Pear Soup

I can't get enough butternut squash, and soup is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. This silky, decadent soup really hits the spot on a cold night (or lunch at work, or anytime really!). 

I made this recipe as a starter for our Thanksgiving meal this year, but it is filling enough to eat as the main dish! If you're making it for guests, you can easily make it the day before and reheat it before serving. It also freezes really well if you end up having leftovers.

Butternut Squash & Pear Soup (inspired by this recipe)
Serves 8

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, diced
1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 pears, peeled and chopped into roughly 1-inch pieces
1-quart low sodium chicken stock, or enough to cover
1 sprig rosemary
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and granulated sugar


Directions 

1. Melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium-high heat, 
2. Add the onions to sweat.
3. Once the onions are translucent, add squash and pears to sweat for 5-6 minutes. 
4. Add enough stock to submerge solids, then add a sprig of rosemary* and bring to a simmer and cook until squash is fork tender about 15 to 18 minutes. 
5. Remove rosemary. Puree with immersion blender. 
6. Stir in the cream and season, to taste. 

*I found that, while many of the rosemary leaves remained on the branch, a good number fell off and into the soup. I don't care for the texture of whole rosemary in my soup (even when pureed) so I had to fish them all out by hand - tedious. I would highly recommend keeping your rosemary in cheesecloth or something similar to keep all of the leaves out of your soup!