Creamy Squash Soup with Shredded Apples

A smooth butternut squash soup made creamy with fat-free evaporated milk instead of cream, sweetened only by shredded apple softened in olive oil and warmed with pumpkin pie spice. A generous bowl of one and a half cups runs about 364 calories with roughly 19 g of protein, most of it from the milk.

The evaporated milk has to go in slowly. Stir it into the hot squash half a cup at a time, and take the pan off the heat the moment the soup is about to boil. Boiled evaporated milk splits and turns grainy; brought just to the edge, it stays glossy and thick. Frozen puree saves peeling and roasting a squash.

The reserved raw apple on top is not decoration; the sharp, crunchy shreds cut the sweetness of the soup. It keeps four days in the fridge and reheats gently on the stove. Serve it with a slice of whole-grain toast or beside a green salad, and a little cayenne is a good addition if you like heat.