Azteca Squash Soup

There's nothing like a batch of yummy and healthy soup when it's cold outside! I found this recipe for Azteca Squash Soup under as "Spa Food at Home" section in the December, 2008 issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. While this is not a quick soup, it feels good because you make it in little parts throughout the day. And roasting the butternut squash makes your house smell great! Save some time and use an immersion blender if you have one instead of transferring batches of soup to a blender and pureeing a bit at a time.

Azteca Squash Soup 8 servings Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1 1½-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise,seeded 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1¾ cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery 2 garlic cloves, chopped 6 cups (or more) vegetable broth, divided 1 tsp. group cumin 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained 1 cup frozen corn kernels 1 cup chopped red bell pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme 1 tsp. minced seeded serrano chile Coarse sea salt Plain nonfat yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Sprinkle cut halves of squash with salt and pepper. Arrange, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Roast squash until tender, about 1½ hours. Turn squash cut side up and cool. Scoop squash out into medium bowl.

Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add 1¾ cups chopped onion and saute until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Mix in 1 cup chopped celery and 2 chopped garlic cloves. Add 1 cup broth. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash, 5 cups of broth, and cumin. Cover and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors.

Working in batches, puree squash soup in blender until smooth. When finished pureeing all batches, return all soup to pot. Thin squash soup to desired consistency with more vegetable broth. Add 1 cup black beans, 1 cup corn kernels, 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, and 1 teaspoon minced serrano chile. Cover soup and simmer 10 minutes. Season soup to taste with coarse salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with dollop of yogurt and sprig of cilantro