As a college student with little to no cooking experience, I find it difficult to make food that doesn’t require poking the skin a few times with a fork and throwing it into the microwave.

The task of cooking is even more daunting when looking for easy, cheap, healthy and yummy recipes. If anyone is just as lost in the kitchen or doesn’t have the thyme for a glamorous four-course meal, I have the perfect recipe for you.

VEGAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Total Servings: 6

Cost per Servings: $3.34

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 3 medium carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium potato
• 1 butternut squash
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• crackers (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the onion, potato, carrots, butternut squash and garlic. Cut celery.

2. Mix and cook the onions, carrots, celery and olive oil in a large pot for 5 minutes on medium heat with the lid covered. Stir occasionally.

3. Add garlic. Let simmer for 1 to 2 more minutes. Continue to stir.

4. Add vegetable broth, potatoes and butternut squash. Let simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. (Get blender and oven mitt ready while you wait.)

5. Once the vegetables are soft, let cool. Pour the contents into blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot.

6. Add salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

7. Garnish with crackers, if desired, and enjoy.

Tips:

• Pre-cut butternut squash will save you time and energy. However, it’s a bit pricier.
• If you have a hand-held mixer, it will cut down the time it takes to prepare the ingredients.
• Clean dishes as you wait for food to cook to avoid a big mess.

Brandi Gualco can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.