This soup is a twist on more traditional butternut squash soup recipes. The Mexican flavors come together really nicely. This soup has a little kick to it. Chipotle peppers in adobo can be very spicy, so you may want to use just one pepper at first.  Save the other pepper and add it later after you’ve tasted the soup, or serve it on the side, or omit the peppers altogether if you don’t want a spicy soup.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
• 6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 3 cups chopped leeks (or substitute 1 chopped yellow onion)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 6 sprigs of cilantro for the base, plus more chopped cilantro to garnish
• Sour cream, or crème fraiche, to garnish

Directions:

1. Dice pre-cut squash into 1-inch cubes OR (if you buy the whole squash) peel the butternut squash with a vegetable peeler.  Cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.  Slice into 1 inch thick slices, then dice into 1-inch cubes.
2. Place the squash cubes in a large saucepan and cover with broth.  Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. In another large saucepan, sauté the leeks and1/2 tsp. of the salt in the butter over medium low heat.  Cook for 25 minutes or so, until soft but not overly browned.
4. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder to the leeks.  Sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add the squash and its broth to the leeks.  Add tomatoes, cilantro sprigs, another 1/2 tsp. salt, and the chipotles.   Bring to a boil.
6. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
7. Cool slightly, then puree with an immersion blender, or pour the soup into a food processor or a blender to puree.
8. Return soup to the saucepan and heat through. Add more broth to thin if needed.  Garnish with a few dollops of sour cream or creme fraiche and a few tsp. of chopped cilantro.

Adapted from Annie Fenn of jacksonholefoodie.com