There is nothing better than tucking into a hearty and nutritious soup on a cold, wintery day.

While it may be tempting to head to the supermarket and pick up a carton of soup, these are often packed full of preservatives and don't taste as good as they look.

Luckily, cooking your own soup at home is easy, especially with this butternut squash soup recipe from Diane at Best Recipe Box.

The recipe includes just two main ingredients - butternut squash and vegetable or chicken stock.

According to Diane, the recipe is "super simple and easily adaptable" and can be enhanced with toppings such as pumpkin seeds, herbs and swirl of cream.

The recipe has proven to be popular, with one cook saying it was "so easy and delicious".

How to make two-ingredient butternut squash soup

Ingredients

One medium butternut squash

Two tablespoons of olive oil

950ml of chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to season

Optional extras:

Toasted pumpkin seeds, sour cream, parsley

Method:

1. First, peel and core the butternut squash and dice it into one-inch cubes.

2. Next, heat a large saucepan on medium-high heat; add the olive oil and then the butternut squash cubes.

3. Cook the squash for five minutes until it turns slightly brown before adding the stock.

4. Allow the butternut squash to simmer for 20 minutes or until it feels tender.

5. Next, blend the soup. An immersion blender or hand-held blender can be used depending on what you have at home.

6. Once blended, put the soup back in the saucepan to re-heat it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve with optional toppings and your sides of choice.