Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup

October in Florida is not cold but tropical storm Nestor is headed our way and soup fits the bill for the weekend.

This soup is DELICIOUS! Definitely a make again.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups vegetable broth
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 medium-large butternut squash peeled and cubed
2-3 carrots peeled and chopped (or a little over 1 cup)
1/2 of a 15 oz. can  pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp Saigon  cinnamon
pinch nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add all of ingredients except heavy cream to slow cooker/crock pot: vegetable broth, onion, squash, carrots, pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt & pepper. Mix ingredients together. Place heat on low and cover - let cook for 5 hours. If you would like this to cook faster, you can set your cooker to high for 3-4 hours.

After ingredients have cooked, use a hand blender to puree  soup or use a blender and in batches blend soup until  smooth. Stir in heavy cream and adjust taste.  Serve soup with pumpkin seeds and enjoy!