Happy first day of Fall!! This is the perfect soup for it! So cozy and comforting, healthy and tasty too! I love using poultry seasoning because it has the fall/thanksgiving familiar flavours that I love so much!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, diced
½ tsp sugar
1 large bay leaf
1 tbsp homemade poultry seasoning (If you don’t want to use this, just pick a couple of spices out of the recipe and use that, or pick your own!)
1 tbsp kosher sea salt (or to taste)
½ tsp pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
2 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
6 cups chicken stock
6 cups diced butternut squash
4 cups chopped fresh spinach

Instructions:
1.) Heat oil and butter in a large pot.
2.) Add onion. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.
3.) Add carrot, celery and sugar. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4.) Add bay leaf, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Stir to coat veggies.
5.) Add garlic and stir.
6.) Add rice and stir to coat.
7.) Add crushed tomatoes, and stir it in. Then add stock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let bubble for about 15 minutes, or until rice and squash are tender.
8.) Remove bay leaf and discard.
9.) Add spinach, and let bubble for around 2 minutes.
10.) With an immersion blender, puree half the soup, to get a smooth and chunky texture.
11.) Adjust seasoning if needed. Garnish with plain yogurt and pumpkin seeds if desired.

Enjoy!