This 4-Ingredient Soup Is a Perfect Ode to Butternut Squash

This recipe is the simplest gateway to butternut squash soup. It has only four ingredients (not including oil, salt, and pepper, but you have all that in your pantry, right?), contains no cream, and is all about the rich, sweet flavor of the butternut squash. Because the recipe is so simple, this squash soup is an amazing canvas for all your favorite soup toppers, from croutons to swirls of coconut cream.

Ingredients:

2 small (1 3/4 pounds each) butternut squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons unsalted butter