Over the river and through the woods to Washington state we go! I am so excited to head home this week and spend some much needed QT with my family. There will be lots of laughing at very loud volumes, eating – duh, cozy couch time and much needed R&R. There is also guaranteed to be lots of yummy food and wine to indulge in so I plan to eat pretty dang clean the next few days to make up for any splurges I might have in the near future. One way to do so while still feeling entirely seasonal and keeping it easy in the kitchen leading up to Thanksgiving is this crock pot soup. Not only does it satisfy the holiday vibes with sweet butternut squash and bright apple flavors, but it is one of the easiest soups I’ve ever made. Basically throw it all in and let it do it’s thing while you work your magic in the kitchen leading up to Turkey Day.

The hardest thing you will do is mix it up, that easy!

Crock Pot Butternut Squash Soup, recipe courtesy of Gimme Some Oven
Tips…buy pre-cut butternut squash to make this a 5-10 minute recipe, worth it! Also, I doubled it and froze half for an easy weeknight dinner. Lastly, serve with a sprinkle of cayenne or a few fried sage leaves on top for some extra crunch.

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
1 medium (uncooked) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 sprig fresh sage
1 white onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
Optional garnishes: cayenne, fried sage leaves

Add vegetable stock, garlic, carrot, apple, butternut squash, sage, onion, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon and nutmeg to a slow cooker. Toss to combine and cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high, or until the squash is completely tender and mashes easily with a fork. Stir in the coconut milk.

Use an immersion or traditional blender to puree the soup until smooth. Taste, and season with additional salt, pepper and cayenne if needed. Serve warm, with optional garnishes if desired.

I made gluten free cornbread muffin to complete the meal

Once it’s all cooked down hit it with the immersion blender and serve it up