Roasted Squash Soup

I love squash soup, but I have never made it myself. My mother-in-law gave us some lovely squash so I decided to whip up a batch of this beautiful comfort food this past weekend. Even my squash-hating hubby enjoyed this soup.

I started by cutting a large squash in half and scooping out the seeds.

I drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted for nearly an hour.

Allow the squash to cool for a while before scooping out the good stuff and putting in a blender. At this point, an immersion blender on the stove top would work as well.

As I puréed the squash in batches in my blender, I added chicken broth, sautéed onion and garlic, and maple syrup. I seasoned it with a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Maple syrup adds a comforting sweetness to the soup. I then simmered the soup in a large pot on the stove until we were ready to eat dinner. I used an entire 32-ounce box of chicken broth, but you can add the broth gradually to ensure you achieve the thickness you want. Vegetable broth could be used to make this an entirely vegetarian dish.

Before serving, I drizzled a bit of olive oil over the soup and sprinkled each bowl with a bit more nutmeg.

Recipe:

• 1 large (or a couple of small) squash
• 32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 tablespoon nutmeg (plus more for sprinkling before serving)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds
• Drizzle each half of squash with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Place each half of the squash face down on a large baking sheet.
• Roast the squash in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Let the squash cool for at least 15 minutes before scooping out of the peel and into the blender.
• Purée the squash in batches, never filling the blender more than half full at a time. It will expand as you blend.
• As you blend the batches, place the puréed squash in a large pot on the stove.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding more broth as needed until the desired consistency is achieved.
• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with nutmeg and serve!