Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically and seeded
- 1 tablespoon Butternut Squash Seed Oil , plus more for drizzling
- ½ cup chopped shallot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Up to 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough butternut squash seed oil. Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 45 to 50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Then use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into a bowl and discard the tough skin.
- Meanwhile, in a medium skillet (or large soup pot, if you’ll be serving soup from that pot), warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- For this step you can use a traditional blender or a immersion blender. Transfer the cooked shallot and garlic to your blender. Add the reserved butternut, maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the container past the maximum fill line. Blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately (I like to top each bowl with a little more black pepper). Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
