Butternut squash is my favorite winter vegetable, and I have been sitting on this recipe for months, waiting for the weather to turn cold so that I could make it. Does it HAVE to be cold to make this soup? Of course not. There are no rules! But when it is cold, it makes hot soup that much more delicious, amirite? So when Houston finally got the one cold week a year that passes for winter, I was all ova this.

The beauty of this dish is that it’s just plants and animals – so totes endo friendly and totes flavorful. Plus, it’s very pretty, and I love pretty food.

When I use butternut squash, I always go with the peeled and chopped version most grocery stores sell. Yeah it’s more expensive, but doing it yourself is such a pain in the ass. I’d rather pay the extra billz and save myself some time.

This soup is perfect for when you have leftover chicken and veggies in the fridge and no clue what to do with them.

Does not contain: dairy, soy, sugar, gluten

Adapted from Against All Grain:

2 minced garlic cloves
2-3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
½ chopped yellow onion
extra virgin olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
2-3 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts/thighs
dried parsley
dried thyme
dried rosemary
dried oregano
salt and pepper
2 cups spinach

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. In a roasting pan, toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, until the vegetables get nice and tender.
3. In a large pot, heat up the chicken broth and toss in the cooked chicken along with some generous sprinkles of the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Let simmer until veggies are ready.
4. Once the vegetables have roasted, put half in the pot and the other half in the blender. Puree them with a cup of water.
5. Add the puree to the pot, along with the spinach.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes, and then prepare yourself cause it’s about to get real.