Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 My favorite seasons are Fall and Winter. There are so many wonderful things that happen during this time of year. The holidays are just around the corner. It's a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, giving thanks to God for all His wonderful blessings and faithfulness to us. It's a fabulous time of year!

What's also wonderful is the weather. I love when the weather changes, the fog rolls in and the air is crisp and bright. This type of weather is perfect for  good comforting soups. One of the most delicious of soups is Butternut Squash Soup. It's velvety texture wraps your taste buds in a cozy blanket. Though this soup taste absolutely decadent it's not, unless you add cream then that's a different story. I wanted a very hearty yet healthy soup, so i bypassed the cream.  It's amazing how simple this soup was to make. There is some time involved because you're roasting the sqaush, but it's so worth the time. There is so much flavor in this soup and the color alone is enticing.

This soup is wonderful as an entree or side. If you want a more richer soup add cream. If you want completely vegetarian, use vegetable stock. Make it your own! Slip into those cozy pajamas and find comfort in this beautiful bowl of soup!

Buen Provecho!

Preheat oven 425F. Cut in half & scoop out the seeds.

Place on a lined baking sheet. I forgot to and I paid the cleaning price!

Season with thyme, salt & pepper. Roast for 50-60 minutes. Put carrots in half way through the cooking time, otherwise they will burn. Learned the hard way on that one, had to cut off the burnt parts. :0

Scoot out roasted flesh and set aside.

Add olive oil to a large pot. Add onions and saute until transparent, 5 mins.

Add roasted squash, carrots and sag leaves.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Blend in batches until smooth.  Add more broth if soup is too thick. Your preference. :)

Nice and velvety!

A delicious bowl of goodness! Garnish with parmesan cheese or a splash of cream. I added a sage leaf just for contrast for the photo. : 0

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (about 3 1/2 lbs)
2 small carrots
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
3-4 fresh sage leaves, whole
4-5 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 Tbsp Olive oil
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese to garnish

Road Map:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds into a bowl. Reserve to roast later for a healthy treat!

2. Place squash cut-side up on baking sheet and drizzle & spread with olive oil. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.  Roast for 50-60 minutes. Add carrots during the last 30 minutes of cooking, otherwise the will burn.

3. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the tender squash and set aside. Add olive oil to a large pan. Add diced onions and saute (5 minutes), season with salt and pepper. Once onions are transparent add squash, carrots, sage leaves and chicken broth.

4. Bring to a boil , reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

5. Use immersion blender to blend soup or pour soup in batches into a blender until smooth. Pour back into pot. If consistency is too thick, add more broth. Season to taste. Add a pinch of nutmeg.

6. Enjoy!