I'd never had butternut squash before, let alone cooked it. But I found this recipe to be the perfect base for some of my favorite spices. I doubled it with 2 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 3 red potatoes and two med squash, all peeled/seeded/chopped/cubed as appropriate. I also added 3 cloves of garlic, 3/4 tsp each of cumin and smoked paprika, a little salt, a good amount of fresh cracked pepper, and a 1/4 tsp of cayenne (we like things with a little kick!) I omitted the butter, substituting a few tablespoons of olive oil instead, and replacing the stock with water/boullion, simply because those were what I had on hand. The creaminess of the squash is awesome, and with some sour cream leftover from a party and fresh french bread, the whole setup was perfect! PS...i used the leftovers tonight over pasta and it was marvelous! I browned lean ground turkey in a pan, then added a few ladles full of soup, cooked some of the liquid off, added red pepper flakes and a good helping of parmesan cheese. Mixed in cooked whole grain pasta right into the pan to let the sauce coat the pasta and yum!

Reviewed On: Nov. 8, 2010

The fiance decided to cook for the first time and went with this dish. I did all his prep work (chopping and measuring) because he got a wee bit overwhelmed :) But it came out absolutely fabulous! He took the advice of some other reviewers and added canned black beans and corn. They really helped round the soup out and make it less watery. He also added 2 cloves of garlic and 3 small serrano peppers, both finely minced, to the onion and celery step. He forgot to buy sour cream, but we'll buy some for tomorrow night, when we have the soup for leftovers. He's so proud of himself, and I was so happy to catch a cooking break on Sunday! Soup was great, but did 4 stars because it was missing a few things we added ourselves. Still! Thanks Rillene! :)

Reviewed On: Mar. 21, 2010

I've made this recipe every Thanksgiving for the last five years, and it's always a hit. I usually use pecans instead of walnuts, but I'm sure it will come out wonderfully with walnuts as well. One thing is that this makes enough for a true 9-inch pie dish. The graham crackers crusts from the store that I usually buy say they are 9-inch, but I think they're a wee bit smaller. And then I always make the mistake of overfilling my crust because I have too much mix. Resist the urge to do that and you'll have a perfect pie! :)

Reviewed On: Jan. 3, 2010