Golden Winter Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-Virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion
• finely chopped
• 2 carrots
• peeled and finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery
• trimmed and chopped
• 1 large sweet potato
• peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 butternut squash or hubbard squash
• peeled
• seeded
• and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 to 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and sweet potato and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the squash, thyme, cloves, and broth, and season to taste with salt.
4. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pan, and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a sharp knife tip, about 20 minutes.
6. Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender, and process to the desired consistency.
7. Return the soup to the pan and season to taste with pepper.
8. Stir in the chopped parsley.
9. Reheat before serving.