Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 Happy 2016 everybody! I’ll admit that I’m a bit relieved that the holiday season is over – we had a lovely time visiting with friends and family, but I’m ready to get back to a regular life, and regular schedule, that doesn’t involve dessert after every meal. Well, my body is ready – but I won’t lie, I *do* love a bit of chocolate at breakfast… which makes it all the more reason to get back to a regular schedule. An occasional bit of a sweet in the morning is fine – but a daily morning treat is not fine, for my brain or my body.

 

Despite my commitment to getting back to healthy eating, chilly January doesn’t make me exactly crave a salad. In discussing this month’s theme, Streusel and I agreed that it should be something warm and hearty – it’s cold in our respective cities of Denver and Seattle (it’s even snowing this very second in Seattle!). So, we decided that January should here forth be known as Strudel and Streusel’s Month of Soups. So let’s get our soup on!

 

 

 

 

I’ve taken to buying these giant bags of sweet potatoes at Costco – usually I just roast two at a time, and Brandon and I eat them with a green veggie and call it dinner. We do this over the course of a many weeks, so by the time I make it to the end of the bag, there are often a few potatoes that are a little gnarled, starting to sprout, but otherwise perfectly good for cooking. Combining one of those sweet potatoes with butternut squash (also bought at Costco, pre-cut and ready for roasting) creates this sweet, creamy, and deeply satisfying soup. Enjoy!

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 

olive oil

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 teaspoon dried sage

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup milk

pepitas and sour cream/greek yogurt, for serving

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

 

In a large bowl, toss butternut squash cubes with enough olive oil to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss again. Arrange squash in a single layer on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flip, and roast for another 20-30 minutes, until the squash is tender and starting to brown.

 

Over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan. Once hot, add chopped onion and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato cubes, stir, and cover pot. Cook about another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes start to soften. Add dried sage, stir again, then add in about 2 cups of the roasted butternut squash (reserving some of the roasted squash for serving).

 

Pour in 4 cups of broth (enough to cover the potatoes and squash) and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are soft. Remove from heat, and using an immersion blender, puree the soup. It will be quite thick at this point – stir in about 1 cup of milk and stir (or blend) until incorporated.

 

Serve with pepitas, a few cubes of roasted squash, and a dollop of sour cream (or greek yogurt).

 

 

 

Posted on January 3, 2016
This entry was posted in healthy, soup, vegetarian and tagged butternut squash, soup, vegetarian.