This recipe is super healthy and flavorful. It also warms up the kitchen with a wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie spice.

Ingredients:
1 medium/large butternut squash, cooked* (approximately 3 cups)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped (or 1 cup celeriac, peeled and chopped)
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
salt and pepper to taste

optional
pumpkin seeds and fresh sage

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in medium/large soup pan

2. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until onions are soft, approximately 5 minutes

3. Add carrots, celery, apple, squash, chicken stock and pumpkin pie spice and stir

4. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium (soup should be at a very gentle boil)

5. Cover and cook for 20 min, stirring occasionally

6. Test to ensure all vegetables are soft and then use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth, or if you’d like a more smoother texture, transfer soup into a blender and pulse to desired texture

7. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with pumpkin seeds and fresh sage if desired.
   

   *To cook your butternut squash, preheat oven to 400 degrees, cut your squash in half lengthwise, spray a sheet pan with a thin layer of olive oil and place squash face down on the pan. Cook approximately 45 minutes on center rack or until squash is soft (on both long and fat ends) when poked with a fork.

   This recipe can also be make in the instant pot, which is easier if you have one. Simply saute the onion and garlic in the pot for approximately 5 minutes, add all other ingredients and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Use the immersion blender and allow soup to sit in the pot on warm to allow flavors to meld further.