Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash
• halved lengthwise and seeded
• olive oil
• 2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia)
• diced
• 6 cloves garlic
• minced
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 1 (8.4 ounce) package medium-hot curry sauce (such as S&B Golden Curry)
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• cored and diced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut cream
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 16 fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place squash onto a baking sheet cut-side down.
3. Bake squash in preheated oven until the skin loosens from the flesh, about 40 minutes.
4. Heat olive oil in a 5-quart stockpot over medium-high heat.
5. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Add vegetable stock, curry sauce, and apples to the stockpot; bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low.
8. Cut squash into 1-inch cubes; add to the stockpot.
9. Bring the mixture again to a simmer, place a cover on the pot, and cook, stirring once every 15 minutes, until the squash is tender and breaks apart easily when stirred, about 2 hours.
10. Remove pot from heat and blend soup with an immersion blender until completely pureed.
11. Pour coconut cream into the soup; continue blending until creamy.
12. Top each serving with toasted pine nuts and a couple of leaves of cilantro.