Butternut Squash Apple Soup (Recipe Monday)

One of my favorite fall dishes is butternut squash soup.  The first time I ever had this soup was when my friend had a cooking demonstration bridal shower.  Her recipe was butternut squash soup and was mostly similar to this recipe which is a combination of hers, one from Woman's Day and some of my own modifications. I've eliminated the heavy cream for a lower fat recipe and also increased the ratio of cider to broth to make the soup both sweeter and thicker. This is a great appetizer for Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 gala apples, peeled, cored, chopped
3 lbs (8 cups) butternut squash, peeled and cubed
24 oz (3 c.) broth (chicken or vegetable)
12 oz (1 1/2 c.) apple cider
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Making Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Directions:

1. Melt butter in 5-quart pot over medium heat.  Stir in onions and apples. Saute about 5 minutes.
2. Add butternut squash cubes, broth, cider, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.
3. Using an immersion blender puree the soup.  If you don't have an immersion blender you can use a blender in batches. 

A Shariously comforting fall soup!