Raeja's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

by **Raeja** Wed Nov 22, 2023 4:17 am

Raeja's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds) halved vertically and seeds removed

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling (I did not have olive oil and used Avocado oil instead)

1 large Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and diced/chopped

1 large yellow onion diced (I roasted this)

1 sweet potato peeled and diced (I roasted this and used a small one)

4 large cloves garlic, minced (I roasted this)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup whole milk (I am sure 2% will be ok, not sure how skim would work but should as well)

optional Garnish ideas: Smoked Paprika, Fresh Basil Sprigs, Croutons

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper. Put squash on pan and drizzle flesh side with enough oil to cover the tops and rub on inside of pocket. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Place squash face down on parchment paper and roast until skin and flesh browns ~ about 40 - 50 minutes. Let set at least 10 minutes before handling. Scoop out flesh and put into a container.

In another baking pan, cover bottom and sides with oil. Add Sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic. Roast for about 20 minutes at 435F. When done, add this to the cooked squash, as well as the diced apple.

Divide into 2 or 3 portions. Put one portion in blender with 1 cup of broth and blend. Repeat for the other 2 sections. Pour each batch into a large cooking pot. Add Milk and seasonings (I had to use more broth and it was beef since that was the one that was open in my fridge, because Don is on a liquid diet at this time from his lip cancer surgery). NOTE: If you divide into 2 batches use 1-1/2 cups broth.

You can thin it with another cup of broth or milk until you get your desired consistency. Add Butter or olive oil to the soup, to taste. Warm soup over medium heat, stirring often, until it is nice and steamy. (I actually made a make shift double boiler, so I did not have to worry about the soup scorching. I used a pan a little wider than the one I put the soup in, added water and used a small metal cooling rack for the soup pan to sit on. Saves alot of disappointment from scorched soup).

NOTE: You can make this dairy free or vegan free. Use olive oil instead of butter, use vegetable broth instead milk.