Buttercup Squash Soup

Includes: Buttercup Squash, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Ham, Onion, Parsley, Sage, Thyme

Recipe Provided by: Jenn Cuisine

Prep Time: 1hr for chopping and roasting vegetables
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

Ingredients:
For the veggie broth:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
thyme
salt/pepper
4 c. water

For roasting the squash:
4 buttercup squash (or your favorite type of squash), about 9 lbs.
olive oil
salt/pepper

For the rest of the soup:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. sweet ham steak (I used an apple maple flavored ham), cubed
2 c. (1 can) white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. parsley, minced
thyme, sage

Directions:
1. Prepare the squash: Preheat the oven to 350F.  Slice the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds/inside.  If you want to roast the seeds (which I always do because fresh toasted seeds are awesome), then save them so you can rinse and dry and roast them.
2. Place the squash halves  rind side down on a large pan, drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle with salt/pepper.  Roast for a good hour, until the squash is softened.
3. Meanwhile, start the veggie broth.  Add carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt/pepper and water to a pot, and let simmer while the squash roasts.
4. Once squash is done roasting, scoop out the squash meat (I just used a spoon) and add to a large pot.  Mash the squash, using a rudimentary potato masher by hand if you don’t have electricity on your vacation, or a hand mixer if you do, haha.  Gradually add about 3 cups or so of broth to the squash while mixing.
5. Add ham, beans, and herbs to the soup, and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about an hour or so, adding more broth if necessary.  It shouldn’t be a very liquidy soup, but not as thick as a chowder.
6. Serve hot, and garnish with parsley.