Description
This Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Garlic, Thyme and Rice is one of those easy recipes that feels like it has been simmering away all afternoon, even though it comes together without much fuss. I love using butternut squash because it blends into a naturally smooth soup, and the rice gives it a satisfying thickness that makes it feel like a proper meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12.5 ml - 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 900 g butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into chunks
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 L chicken stock or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 ml - 2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 125 ml - /2 cup rice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Nutmeg, to taste
- 62.5 ml - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 T olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat.
- Add 1 medium chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- Add 900 g chopped butternut squash and 2 large cloves of minced garlic to the pot.
- Stir for about 30 seconds, just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Be careful not to brown the garlic, as it can turn bitter.
- Pour in 1.5 L chicken stock. If you use salted stock, wait before adding extra salt until the soup has cooked and you can taste the final seasoning.
- Add 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 cup rice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until the 1/2 cup rice is cooked and the 900 g butternut squash is completely tender.
- Remove the 1 bay leaf. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
- If using a countertop blender, blend in batches and be careful when handling hot liquid.
- Add nutmeg to taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley before serving.
- The soup will continue to thicken as it sits because of the rice.
- Add a splash of extra chicken stock or water when reheating if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Joyce
