Recipe of the Week: Best Butternut Squash Soup

About a month ago, Zach and I were so fortunate to be invited to our friends Kathleen and Dana's house for a visit. They live in a house Dana built out in beautiful Warren County.

The unique house and their artful lives were the cover story for last fall's Lafayette Magazine!

We had too much fun on our visit. We helped out in the gorgeous vegetable garden, took hikes and foraged for mushrooms. Zach and Dana climbed a 100 ft tall white pine tree, while I stayed on the ground and bonded with their cats and dogs.

Kathleen has been sharing with us fresh produce from her garden and eggs from her chickens for the better part of this year. In return, Zach is painting her and Dana's new outhouse.

The second time we went out to their house, Kathleen fed us an unforgettably delicious butternut squash and white bean soup.

I've never been a big fan of butternut squash but I loved her soup. We also just received some white beans from Zach's mom that we helped to plant earlier in the spring. So I decided to write and ask Kathleen for her recipe. Try it. I think you'll love this soup too.

Ingredients
1 cup dried white beans (soaked overnight in 4 cups of water)
1 medium butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 onions, sliced thin
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
3-4 sage leaves
salt, to taste

Directions
In a large pot, cook beans in 3 cups of chicken broth and 4 cups of water until soft, about 45 minutes.
While you wait for the beans, saute onions until golden, then add herbs and squash, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
When the beans are done, add squash mixture into large pot with beans.
Cook at a simmer until the squash and beans become very soft.
Season with salt.