Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Come fall there are a few things I have on heavy rotation for dinner time. Soup is one of them. I just love a hearty and delicious soup to warm me up as the temps cool down. Plus they have the added bonus of being particularly good at hiding healthy ingredients from persnickety toddlers. My daughter has a fairly adventurous palette, she’s a big fan of Korean and Thai food for example, but she’s still not loving most veggies these days. So when I find a recipe like this one, that is healthy (if you ignore the cream), and my daughter loves it, I know I’ve found a winner. Recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, or 2 small

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

• 1 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

• 1 Shallot, chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 8 fresh sage leaves (minced), or 1-2 tablespoons dried sage

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

• 1 cups water

• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

• ½ cup cream

• Grated parmesan

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Place the squash on the lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, making sure to coat. Season very generously with salt and pepper.

3. Roast the squash in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until it is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, chop the apple, shallot and onion.

5. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the other 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. When it is hot, add the apple, shallot and the onions. Stir in the sage. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 7-10 minutes.

   

7. Add the butternut squash into the pot with the apples and onions.

8. Add the broth, water, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

9. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

10. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

11. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.

12. Blend the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Make sure to let the steam escape when using a blender otherwise it might explode. Return the soup to the pot and heat up again, if necessary.

13. Garnish with grated parmesan and a drizzle of cream, if desired.

Variations:

Vegan - if you want to make this recipe even healthier, switch out the chicken broth for vegetable stock and skip the cream. It’s still super tasty and just a little better for you.

Garnishes - Sprinkle toasted pepitas, fried shallots or crumbled bacon on to add a different flavor every time.

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