Soup Countdown #14: Butternut Squash at Winslow's Home

January is National Soup Month, which makes sense, considering the first month of the year is typically marked with below freezing temperatures, snow and slush. What's better than a delicious, hot bowl of soup on a chilly day? A delicious, hot bowl of soup that you don't have to make -- that's what. This January Gut Check will revisit some of our favorite hot soups to help guide your belly through this month-long soup celebration.

Natalie Mclaury

​Part general store, part restaurant, Winslow's Home (7213 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-7559) has gained a reputation for its seasonal, from-scratch meals with ingredients often sourced from its farm in Augusta. Of the rotating soups available for lunch and dinner, the butternut squash soup is a particular gem.

The soup is uncomplicated -- no crazy flavorings or spices threaten to detract from the main ingredient -- but bold. It's hard to believe this thick soup was made without a hint of heavy cream -- or any dairy, for that matter. As much as we love the fatty cream or spicy curry adaptations of this soup, the simplicity here lends to excellence.

One bowl is substantial enough to feed all of those January dieters, but at less than $5, you'll have enough money left over to pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich or, better yet, splurge on the goat-cheese cookie or one of its other handmade bakery items.

These 50-degree temperatures in St. Louis won't stick around forever. When the chill sets in, warm up with a hearty, healthy bowl of butternut squash goodness from Winslow's Home.