Easy Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 7 pounds butternut squash, approximately 2 medium butternut squash 
• 4 cups vegetable broth 
• 3 carrots 
• 2 apples 
• 2 yellow onions 
• 7 cloves garlic 
• 2 sprigs fresh sage leaves 
• 1 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon 
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk 

Optional toppings

• Cilantro
• Red cabbage
• Pistachios
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• Sriracha 

Directions

1. Prepare vegetables. Slice both ends of butternut squash and discard. Peel with a Y peeler and dice into 1 to 1 1½-inch cubes. Peel carrots and roughly chop into a few pieces. Peel onion and roughly chop into 8 pieces. Core the apples, leave peel on, and roughly chop. Peel garlic and slice each clove in half. 
2. Add all ingredients EXCEPT the coconut milk, to an 8- or 10-quart slow cooker. Reserve the coconut milk to add when the soup is done cooking. 
3. Stir ingredients and cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours or High for 3 hours. 
4. When all ingredients are fork tender, carefully remove lid and remove the sage leaves from the soup. 
5. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup. Alternatively, you can blend this in batches in a blender. 
6. Add up to the full can of coconut milk and blend using the immersion blender or blender. 
7. Serve with your favorite toppings. 

Makes: 16 servings