Just made this this afternoon. YUM! The house smells fantastic and it was so simple to prepare. Spicy fresh ginger complements the sweet roasted winter squash and shallots in this easy recipe. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich for a simple supper.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup soup and 1 teaspoon chives)

Ingredients

• 4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large shallots, peeled and halved
• 1 (1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons (1-inch) slices fresh chives
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a roasting pan or jelly-roll pan; toss well. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool 10 minutes.

3. Place half of squash mixture and half of broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan. Repeat procedure with remaining squash mixture and broth. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with chives and pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

112 (20% from fat)

Fat:

2.5g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g)

Protein:

3.3g

Carbohydrate:

22.4g

Fiber:

3.6g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

1.6mg

Sodium:

266mg

Calcium:

84mg