Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I think I'm on a soup kick. Here's why:

a) in the last few weeks I've made lentil soup, chicken taco soup and now roasted butternut squash soup b) the last few times I've gone through my recipes I am drawn to the soups c) it is Fall now (even in California) and nothing feels more cozy than a warm bowl of soup d) I've realized how easy it is to make your own soup, so that gives me even more motivation e) I've been known to go on 'kicks' before, like adding quinoa and couscous to many meals.

Kaci mentioned recently that she made butternut squash soup. I was intrigued and finally decided to make my own this weekend! I was especially drawn to this particular recipe because it's dairy free (hooray). I was happy with the result and would recommend serving with a salad or some form of protein (like your thanksgiving turkey!)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 (2.5 pound) butternut squash
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
6 cups vegetable stock (I used store bought, low sodium version. feeling more ambitious? make your own)
2 Yukon gold potatoes, coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf


Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. Cool. Discard peel; mash pulp.
3. Heat Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; saute 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add squash, vegetable broth and next 5 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Let stand 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
4. In small batches, place vegetable mixture in a blender (I used my magic bullet*). Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining squash mixed. Return pureed mixture to pan; cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 


The original recipe suggested adding parsley and honey into each bowl of soup. I didn't add the parsley but we did try honey. It may sounds strange but it was a delicious addition!


Enjoy! 


* Since steam cannot escape from Magic Bullet, I blended small batches for 60 seconds or less. I also used a dish towel to handle the bullet so I didn't burn my hands. It worked perfectly! 

Original recipe and photo from Cooking Light.