Butternut Squash Pear Bisque Soup

This one deserves a post all its own. I will say that while the actual soup takes no time to cook, the squash takes some time to prep, so my suggestion would be to make this on a weekend, and double it for lots of yummy leftovers. You can always freeze it. This is about as healthy a creamy soup you can possibly ask for, though don't be too fooled- butternut squash apparently ranks in the starchy vegetable category, so if you are dieting, be sure to check out how many points/starches it counts as.

YUM.

2TBS butter
1med onion, diced
1 med butternut squash (about 2lbs) peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (tips on this below)
1 large Anjou pear, peeled, halved, cored, cut into chunks (I've used all kinds of pears, so don't worry about being too picky)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 QT low-sodium broth (chicken or veggie)
1 bay leaf
1 tbs honey
1/2tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. whipping cream (you can use fat-free half and half or milk- it doesn't really matter)
shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, optional

To prep the squash: use a sharp, big knife. Cut the squash in half, just above the bulge. With cut side down, run your knife along the skin to peel it off. Once that's done, cut the ends off. The half with the seeds: scape out innards with a spoon, but a tip I learned from my time at this hoity-toity italian place is that the stringy part of a squash is where all the sugar is. Since we are pureeing the squash, you can leave some of the stringys there to sweeten the soup. Just make sure to get all the seeds out of there. Then cut into 1-inch chunks.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, 8 minutes. Add the squash, pear and carrot and saute for a few minutes longer. Raise heat to high and add the broth, bay leaf, honey and thyme. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until squash is very soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and let soup cool slightly. Working in 2-3 batches, in a blender or food processor fitted with metal blade (or an immersion blender) smooth the soup to a puree. Return the soup to the pot and add in cream/milk. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Stir over low until heated all the way through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little cheddar on top.