- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (2 pound) butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 4 cups chicken broth, or as needed
- 1/2 cup half-and-half (optional)
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in the melted butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Mix butternut squash into onion mixture and pour in enough chicken broth to cover the squash. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until squash is tender and mashes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
- Pour squash mixture into a blender no more than half full. Remove center piece from lid and cover hole with a clean towel and hold lid down using the towel; Puree soup in batches on high until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a new pot; stir in half-and-half and season with salt and pepper. Simmer soup until warmed through, about a minute more.