Start by heating the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

Add the Carrots, Onions, and Celery and sauté for a few minutes to start softening them up.

Next, add the chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper and give it a quick stir.

Add the butternut squash and broth, stir again, and bring to a boil.

Once the soup is boiling reduce to medium heat and simmer for around 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

When the vegetables are soft, remove the soup from the heat and discard the bay leaf.

Blend the soup using an immersion blender. I like using an immersion blender because I can blend the soup without transferring it out of the pot. I can blend the whole pot at once. If you don’t have an immersion blender, work in batches and transfer the soup to a blender and purée until smooth. Then return the soup to the pot.

Add the Half and Half to the soup and stir.

After adding the half and half you can return the soup to the stove for a few minutes and warm it through. I find that the little bit of cream or milk added to the soup doesn’t cool it down enough where it needs to be heated through again.