$4 Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on December 28, 2012 By April M. entrees

I love how quick this meal is to make, and the cost is minimal. I also love how much my toddler loves it!

Ingredients:

20 oz bag frozen pre-cut squash, $1 at Market Basket
14.5 oz can of chicken broth, $0.65 at Hannafords (I buy reduced sodium)
14.5 oz can of sliced carrots, $0.50 at Hannafords
half of an 8 oz bar of cream cheese, $1.50 at Market Basket (I buy reduced fat)

I am a cook by taste/smell person, so it’s hard to give amounts on the spices I use.

Ground cinnamon
Ground ginger
Ground nutmeg
Ground cloves

Directions:

Put squash, chicken broth and carrots into a pan and bring to a boil (this takes about 5-7 minutes).

Once the ingredients are at a boil, pour them into a blender and blend (I use liquify setting).

Pour the purée back into the pan.

Add in spices and cream cheese. I love ginger, so I primarily use ginger and cinnamon — probably about 1.5 tablespoon of each, and only do about .5 tablespoon of the nutmeg and cloves. Add in a bit of each and if it’s not enough for you, feel free to add more of whichever you chose.

Once the cheese melts, the soup is ready to serve!

I typically get five bowls of soup out of this.

I like to serve mine with a sprinkle of cinnamon and some ginger snaps.

Some Tips and Variations:

You want a nice creamy texture; if after blending, it doesn’t seem smooth enough, try cooking the purée a bit longer and give it a second blend.
I have a friend who is a vegetarian. When she came over, I used vegetable stock and vanilla soy milk in place of the chicken broth and cream cheese. If you find GMO soy milk it could even be a vegan soup, bonus!
Don’t be afraid to play around with the spices.
Fresh squash and carrots would probably work just as well but would require a longer cooking time.
I’ve done half portions before, where I use half of the bag of squash, half of the can of broth, and an 8 oz can of carrots.
The texture can be modified to your liking as well. If you want chunkier, blend for a shorter amount of time. If you’d prefer a creamier soup, add more cream cheese, or even some whole milk. If you want a thinner soup try adding some extra stock or skim milk.
If you want a sweeter soup, instead of ginger try adding some brown sugar or even maple syrup.