Giada De Laurentiis Just Shared Her Recipe For The Silkiest Butternut Squash Soup

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Fall is here, the weather has taken a turn towards winter, and that means that we’re desperately trying to add squash to our diets in as many ways as possible. And while roasted squash is always welcome at our table, sometimes we want to try a dish that’s a little more refined. That’s where Giada De Laurentiis comes in. In the past, we’ve gobbled down her butternut squash and goat cheese pasta, and her butternut squash lasagna is a total show-stopper. But her latest squash recipe is pared down and creamy without being heavy, light but filling, and full of cozy fall flavor: it’s a silky butternut squash soup with fontina cheese crostini.

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There’s something about smooth pureed soups that always feels fancy, but you really just need an immersion blender to make the magic happen. In fact, even though this recipe seems elegant and refined, it’s super easy to make.

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To make the soup, which reminds us of the nutritious recipes in De Laurentiis’ Eat Better, Feel Better cookbook, you just need to saute onion, carrot, and garlic in a large stockpot, then add squash, broth, and simmer. When the veggies are tender, use your immersion blender to puree the ingredients until you have a velvety-smooth soup, no creamy needed.

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In fact, though De Laurentiis calls for butter and chicken broth in her recipe, you could easily make this a vegan butternut squash soup by replacing the dairy butter with vegan butter, coconut oil, or more olive oil, and by using veggie broth instead of chicken.

De Laurentiis serves her smooth butternut squash soup with crunchy slices of crostini covered in melted Fontina cheese and chopped sage, but you can serve it with plain crostini to keep things dairy-free, or you can double-down on the cheesiness and make fontina grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany your soup. And at the end of the day, that’s why we love this easy, elegant butternut squash soup recipe so much — it’s the jumping off point for so many brilliant fall and winter meals.

Before you go, check out these Ina Garten-Approved holiday gift ideas:

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