I’m loving autumn this year!!  The trees are changing colour and the air is crisp and I’ve even started to smell bonfires!!  The Dazzler has been away for a couple of weeks at his mums which has left me fully in charge of what I eat.  I’ve been having lots of salads and healthy options but have also been enjoying my fair share of warming hearty soups.

I’ve posted lots of soup recipes since I started blogging but completely forgot my love affair with Butternut and Sweet potato soup, not just because its really tasty but because its soooo damned easy to make. Although to be super easy you will need a stick blender!!

Now this can either be a quick fix or a much longer affair if you choose to roast your veggies first but believe me this tastes just as good without the roasting, albeit with a less smokey flavour. My rule of thumb is that if you are going to add chilli to spice this up then I would roast the squash and potato but if not then go ahead as is!!

So here it is, my easy to make butternut and sweet potato soup recipe…

Ingredients

• A glug of olive oil and a clove of garlic
• An onion, 2 sticks of celery and a carrot, chopped finely
• A butternut squash, peeled and cubed (size depends on how much soup you want to make)
• Equal amount of Sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• Stock (I use marigold low salt bouillon as it has a herby taste if you aren’t adding any herbs)
• a bay leaf and sprig of thyme (you could add nothing if using the marigold or mixed herbs if you are in a push)

Method

Heat the garlic in the oil and add in the chopped onion, celery and carrot.

Gently fry for a couple of minutes (you want translucent NOT browned veggies here) then cover with a lid to steam for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, if you haven’t already done so prepare your butternut & sweet potatoes adding them to the pot after 10 minutes and leaving for a further 5 whilst you get your stock ready

About the stock – If making up stock do so now, or you can buy pre-made stock and in those instances I love veggie stock for this. I actually just add water to the pan and sprinkle over the marigold bouillon powder which is sooo much easier.

add in the herbs and then with lid on simmer for 30 minutes until everthing is soft.

lastly turn off the heat and then, using a stick blender, blitz this in its pot.  have a taste then season as necessary.I usually add pepper and a tiny bit of salt just to enhance the flavour. do not be heavy handed here, you can add more salt but you cant take it out!!