Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
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It's still hot in Los Angeles, but I am in full on Fall mode! I'm pretty sure I have put pumpkin pie spice in everything and I tried wearing boots the other day with epic fail... it was hot! I did use one of my favorite fall foods though... butternut squash. I love it for a number of recipes, but in it's classic form of soup is one of my favorites. I find that roasting the squash with garlic, onion, herbs, and spices creates a much deeper flavor than just boiling it. This is a dairy-free soup, but you would never know it! It's thick, rich, and packed with flavor.
Butternut squash is sweet on it's own so I don't like adding more sweetness to it like most recipes do with apples. I like mine savory with that hint of roasted garlic. Yum!! Fall! This recipe is so easy it's not even fair. I like to make a grilled cheese with pumpkin seed pesto and white cheddar cheese then cut it into small pieces to use as croutons. Of course you can use it as a side to dip into the soup but the croutons are just really fun.
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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
makes roughly 10 cups
*2 1/2 to 3 lbs butternut squash
*2 cloves garlic
*1 yellow onion
1 tablespoon fresh sage; chopped (if using dried use half the amount)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (if using fresh use double)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry white wine; I like Sauvignon Blanc
salt and pepper
Grilled Cheese Croutons
makes one sandwich
*2 slices sprouted bread (or whole wheat)
*1 tablespoon pumpkin seed pesto (or pesto of your choice)
*2 tablespoons white cheddar cheese; freshly grated
*butter for spreading
How To:
*Heat your oven to 425 degree
*Cut the butternut squash into about 1 inch cubes
*Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
*Cut the onion into small wedges roughly the same size and place on the same baking sheet
*Smash and peel the two cloves of garlic and those go on the sheet as well
*Top with the sage, thyme, rosemary, cumin, and paprika
*Drizzle with olive oil
*Sprinkle with salt and pepper
*Toss everything together so that it is evenly coated with the olive oil
*Place in the oven and bake until soft but not browning; about 35-45 minutes
*In a large sauce pan place the 4 cups of vegetable stock
*When the butternut squash mixture is done pull out of the oven and set on a cooling rack
*Pour the white wine over the hot butternut squash on the sheet
*Once the wine stops boiling pour the mixture into the vegetable stock
*Bring to a light boil and reduce to a simmer
*Take the pan off of the heat and puree it with an immersion blender
*You can use a food processor or a good blender as well, but I never use those for this so do this at your own discretion
*Once blended until smooth place back in the pot over low heat and simmer for an hour stirring frequently
*When ready to eat you can prepare the grilled cheese
*Butter one side of each piece of bread
*Place cheese on one piece of the bread
*On the other piece of the bread spread the pumpkin seed pesto on the inside and place onto the cheese
*Use a panini press or hot skillet to cook both sides of the sandwich until golden brown on both sides
*Once the sandwich is done cut down the center making two sides
*Then cut down the center of the two sides making long strips
*Cut these strips into small cubes to use as croutons
*Place the hot croutons onto the hot soup and serve!
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