Every year when the butternut squash season arrives, I look forward to picking out the best ones I can find to make this soup. Hint: choose the butternut squashes that are heavy for their size, and have firm, unblemished skin. The heavier that they are, the more flesh you will have to make a creamier, more velvety soup. This soup is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this winter vegetable. On a cold cloudy day, chopping up vegetables to roast in the oven warms the house. As they roast, the house fills with the sweet toasty smell of butternut squash and sage. The reward at the end is a steaming bowl of delicious soup, layered with warming sweet, and savory flavors that will wrap you up in a cozy blanket of goodness. It’s easy to make and if you cook up a big batch, you can enjoy the soup all week long. Let’s get to it:
Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash peeled, de-seeded, and cubed
- 1 yellow onion, chopped into chunky pieces
- 4 large carrots, cut into rounds
- 5-7 large cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger peeled, and roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon of dried sage, or you can use fresh sage chopped up
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups vegetable broth or water (I always use water)
Soup time…
In this recipe I roasted everything up together on a baking sheet, and then blended it with water. I was trying it a bit of a different way than I normally do, in the hopes that the roasting of all of the vegetables would deepen the flavors. The results were a bit less creamy than it usually turns out to be, still delicious, but not as smooth. Choose your way. Roast all the veggies…the butternut squash, carrots, cloves of garlic, onion, sage and ginger lightly tossed in olive oil on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Checking it as you go along to make sure everything browns up, rather than burning. Once done, blend it in a high-speed blender with water, or vegetable broth, until smooth. Pour it into a pot, and bring it to a simmer, adding the additional herbs, and adjusting the salt to your liking. It’s ready to serve. Or alternatively, roast the butternut squash coated in olive oil, and the dried sage, in the oven at 400 degrees, for 45-60 minutes as above, until golden brown. In a pot on the stove boil the carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, and the herbs, and spices in the water, or vegetable broth, until the carrots are soft. Once the butternut squash is roasted until golden brown, add it to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Carefully blend the soup up until creamy smooth. I like to let it cool slightly before doing this to make it easier. Heat to a simmer, and adjust the salt to taste, and enjoy.
Serve a bowl of this yummy goodness as a starter, side, or main dish. It’s easy to make, naturally vegan, gluten free, and super nutritious. Comforting, and warming on a cold winter’s day…I’m sure you’ll come back to this one, again, and again. You can serve it with a warm crusty piece of bread, and sprinkled with roasted pepitas and a squeeze of lime. I hope you love it. Wishing you good health, and good luck on all of your cooking adventures.
