Recipe/Tutorial: Healthy Butternut Squash Soup in the Crock Pot!

It's finally getting a little colder here in South Texas. We had a brief cold snap earlier, but it lasted only 2 days! I'm from the mountains... I want some COLD WEATHER! 

So, here's a fun recipe for one of my favorites: Butternut Squash Soup! Enjoy and let me know how you like it. I've included several variations that I've tried over the years.

Butternut Squash Crockpot Soup

1 large Butternut Squash 
1 large can of cream of chicken soup (I use the heart healthy, no MSG kind)
1-2 boxes of chicken broth (one of the 4 c. boxes)
1 pound bag of carrots, peeled (or not, it’s up to you) and roughly chopped
1 bunch celery, roughly chopped
1 Fuji or Gala apple, cored and roughly chopped (peeled if you want, but not necessary)
1 onion, roughly chopped

Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. You can leave the peel on as you can scoop the squash right out with a spoon later! 

Roughly chop the carrots and other veggies.

Cook the onion and garlic with a little oil until translucent. I sometimes like to ever so slightly char mine for a bit of smoky flavor. 

Place the squash, apple, onion, garlic, veggies, and 1 full box of broth in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high 4 hours, until soft and a butter knife can easily cut through. Add some broth if necessary about halfway through, but add as little as possible. (This time, I added about half of another box, but I probably would have been okay without it.)

Remove squash from skin and discard the peel using a spoon or your fingers or whatever. (See how easy that was?)

Stir in cream of chicken soup until desired thickness is reached. If you make it too thick, add more broth or some water. (This batch, I used the whole can, probably because I added more chicken broth)

Add any of the variations below. 

Blend in a blender in small batches or use an immersion blender until all the veggies are smooth. If you left the peels on the carrots and/or apple, you may not get it totally smooth, and that's totally okay.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a large pinch of nutmeg, thyme, cinnamon, and rosemary (or more if you’re spice fiends like we are!) If you have whole nutmeg and cinnamon sticks that you can grate into the soup, the fresh flavors will be much brighter than using the little store-bought jars. 

Add a garnish of parsley for flavor/color if desired. 

Variations: 
You can add applesauce, cheese, and finely chopped walnuts or almonds.
You can add chili pepper and chipotle spices 
You can use coconut milk instead of the soup for a creamier and sweeter taste.
You can add honey and ginger (especially good if you have a cold).
You can add canned pumpkin and/or sweet potato (Great source of vitamin A!)
You can add coriander and cumin and cilantro and oregano
You can add paprika and garam masala
You can add some dry white wine or apple cider vinegar (or both!)
You can add some ground sausage or chicken after blending (This is amazing and you HAVE TO TRY IT SOMETIME).
You can add some fried bacon crumbles after blending.
You can add sriracha.
You can add croutons as you serve (this gives a nice crunch, but make sure the croutons aren't TOO big).

What did you try in your soup?