Squash and Pear Soup (v)

Ingredients

• 1 chopped leek
• 1 tbs grated ginger
• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in chunks
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
• 4 C vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds (Garnish)

Directions

1. Sauté: Cook leek and ginger in a small amount of oil in a large pot over medium heat until tender.
2. Simmer: Add butternut squash, pears, and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Purée: Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Blend until smooth.
4. Garnish & Serve: Top with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds. Yield about 8 cups.

Chef's Notes

• As written, this is a vegetarian recipe. Omitting the sour cream will make it vegan
• While I personally don't mind, not everyone likes wrestling with a butternut squash - bagged cubed squash will work fine

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