Velvety Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Velvety Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
It's cold out here in NYC! I heard in the forecast that it was supposed to get "seasonably" cold here and since I love making soup, I figured this is the time! We tend to have soup for lunch, a snack or even an appetizer ahead of dinner. I love butternut squash since it's a naturally sweet vegetable. It's a winter squash that has tons of vitamins (C, E and beta-carotene) and powerful antioxidants. Now, I typically take very few shortcuts when it comes to cooking in general. I don't typically buy precut anything due to potential cross contamination or prepped food since I don't know how much salt, sugar or preservatives are used. However, when it comes to butternut squash, I'm not breaking it down (and I have a super sharp, very high quality knife). Buying it precut tremendously helps with the prep time. Also, since you cook it at a really high temperature, it should take care of any potential bacteria. You can of course buy the whole squash and break it down. This recipe is a bit unique because it roasts the squash along with the shallots which allows them to caramelize which provide a nice depth of flavor to the soup, rather than boiling in water. I also use cashews (make sure to toast first to enhance their nuttiness) to thicken the soup. It makes it feel like you're eating a cream based soup. I finish it with freshly (always) grated parmesan cheese, however to keep it vegan, you can sub for nutritional yeast. What makes this recipe "just right" are the additions of the toasted cashews (for body and nuttiness), parmesan cheese (for umami) and the sherry (or apple cider) vinegar (for acidity).
Equipment
- sheet pan
- large stock pot / sauce pot
- immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs butternut squash
- 4 shallots (or 1 yellow / white onion) peeled and halved
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 2/3 cup organic raw cashews toasted
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for vegan) freshly grated
- 2 tbs organic olive oil
- 1 tsp sherry or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups organic vegetable broth homemade or storebought
- Kosher salt Diamond Crystal https://amzn.to/3ZRuGXG **
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- organic whole milk yogurt or coconut yogurt for garnishing
- cilantro for garnishing
- crackers for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Chop the squash into 1 inch chunks. Drizzle the sheet pan with olive oil. Place the squash, shallots (or onions), and thyme on the sheet pan. Don't crowd the pan. Use 2 if necessary. Sprinkle the squash and shallots with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash and shallots are getting some brown color. Half way through, mix and toss around.
- In a large stock pot, drizzle a tbs of olive oil in the pot. Place the smashed garlic in the pot and let it cook for a few minutes, until the smell is pungent. Place the cooked squash mixture on top and pour 4 cups of vegetable broth into the pot. Bring to a boil. Add the toasted cashews and cook for a few minutes until they have softened. Reduce to low. Cook for 10 minutes.
- If you have an immersion blender, starting on low, blend the mixture. Make sure the immersion blender is completely submerged, otherwise you'll have a mess! Blend until completely smooth. Add the parmesan cheese (if using) and blend until smooth. Turn off the pot, add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste to see if more salt, pepper or acid are needed. You can serve and drizzle with yogurt, cilantro and crackers. You can also refrigerate or freeze. If you're not eating immediately, wait to put the garnishes on.
- If using a regular blender, pour the mixture into the blender, filling it 1/2 way. Remove the plastic piece to allow venting and place a towel over the hole which allows some steam to escape. Starting on the lowest speed, blend the soup and then slowly increase the speed and blend until smooth. Add the remaining soup and blend. Note do not fill the blender up and turn on if the soup is hot, this will cause a disaster! Do it in batches. Once completely blended, return everything back to the pot and turn on low for 2-3 minutes. Add the parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast if using). Turn off the pot, add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste to see if more salt, pepper or acid are needed. You can serve and drizzle with yogurt, garnish with cilantro and crackers. You can also refrigerate or freeze. If you're not eating immediately, wait to put the garnishes on.
Notes
** Amazon Affiliate - I may receive compensation.
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2 Comments
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Mamta Kaji
👍🏼😋
Soups are the best meal for cold days!
Zahavalox
100% 🙂