Creamy butternut squash soup

Roasting the squash for this soup gives the best flavor, but you can boil squash if you're in a hurry.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups roasted butternut squash
2 cups water
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup half-and-half

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add squash, water, broth, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let soup simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender, small amounts at a time. Place a towel over the lid of the blender to avoid the lid popping up. Add blended soup back to soup pot and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch slurry at a time to the boiling soup mixture and whisk until the soup reaches desired thickness. Add half-and-half, stir and serve.