Butternut Squash & Pear Soup with Blue Cheese and Campbell's No Salt Added Ready to Use Vegetable Broth

When I prepare my weekly meal plans, a soup recipe is included almost every week because soups are filling, inexpensive, and are simple to make using just one pot. Since I cook for the whole week in one go, I need recipes that aren't complicated to put together, and that my kids will enjoy. When I first started cooking gluten free, I was relieved to discover that Campbell's Vegetable Broth is gluten free. I've mentioned before that I use it regularly because I like the taste and it doesn't cost a fortune, unlike some specialty brands. So, when Campbell's contacted me to offer the opportunity to create a gluten free recipe using their new No Salt Added Ready to Use Vegetable Broth, I was happy to participate. I don't put a lot of salt in my dishes, but soup broth typically comes already salted, limiting the amount of control I have over how much gets added to the dish. I love that now I have a salt free option, providing more control over how much salt my family consumes.

I decided on a Butternut Squash & Pear Soup with Blue Cheese because the ingredients add so much natural flavour and sweetness that very little to no salt is actually needed, and a regular broth can sometimes overpower the other ingredients. I love making butternut squash soup because it's so easy to make, but looks and tastes so rich and creamy without the need for complicated ingredients. The sweet potato added creaminess, the pear adds sweetness, and the blue cheese garnish adds an extra bite that makes this soup something special. Campbell's No Salt Added Ready to Use Vegetable Broth is the perfect broth for this soup, because it's the sweetness of the squash and pear that really needs to shine, not be overshadowed by salt.

Roasting the squash and the sweet potato make a big difference to the taste, so don't skip that step! Choose a good quality blue cheese for best results. Most blue cheese is gluten free, but be sure to check labels!

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Blue Cheese

Ingredients
Makes approximately 6 servings.

1 box Campbell's No Salt Added Ready To Use Vegetable Broth
1 butternut squash
1 sweet potato
1 Anjou or Bartlett pear
1 onion
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp. of nutmeg (or to taste)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Blue cheese for garnish

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F
 
1- Cut butternut squash and sweet potato in half and place on a baking sheet in preheated oven. Bake until flesh is soft and cooked through, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until cool enough to handle. Scoop flesh from the skin and put aside in a bowl.

2- While the squash and sweet potato are cooling, finely chop onion. Add butter to a soup pot over medium heat, and add onion to melted butter, stirring to coat. When onion is soft and translucent, add flesh of sweet potato and squash, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. 

3- Add Campbell's No Salt Added Ready To Use Vegetable Broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook 15 minutes. Using a hand blender, blend soup until smooth and all lumps are removed. Taste soup and flavor with salt and pepper to taste. 

4- Ladle soup into bowls, crumbling some blue cheese over each serving. Serve immediately. 

Campbell's provided me with complimentary broth and I was reimbursed for the ingredients used in this recipe.