2. Peel the squash, cut into 1-inch (or so) cubes.

3. Add squash to the boiling water, boil for 5 minutes. (NOTE: you may need to add water if it is a very large squash; make sure there is enough water to cover).

4. Add the bouillon cube, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes.

5. Let stand for 5-10 minutes to cool. Scoop the squash into the blender, and pour in about half of the remaining liquid. Blend on a middle setting in 2 second increments until smooth, probably less than 10 seconds total. (Note: adding more soup/broth to the blender yields a thinner soup. Adding all the water would probably yield 4-6 bowls of soup, for example). BE CAREFUL: IF SOUP IS TOO HOT, IT COULD CRACK THE BLENDER GLASS.

6. Pour the pureed squash back into the pot, add cream cheese (I actually used 4 oz Spinach Artichoke cream cheese and 4 oz Garden Vegetable, it was DELICIOUS, but I'm sure either one would be just as good). Stir until cream cheese is well incorporated.

7. Add onion powder, dried dill weed, salt, and pepper, all to taste. The key to this dish is these seasonings, especially the pepper. I used fresh cracked, it makes a BIG difference.

8. Serve! If you like the subtle zip of it, add some fresh cracked pepper to each bowl, its nice to get a bit of pepper on top of each bite. MMMMMM!

Yields 2 to 4 bowls, depending on size of squash and size of bowls.

Enjoy! This was my first time making Butternut Squash at all, and this recipe will DEFINITELY be one of my staples now. Never thought I would end up liking any form of squash; mom would be proud!

Thank you Linda, for posting the recipe I referenced to make this yummy soup!

Submitted by: Casey Forner