On a chilly day, I decided to make winter squash soup. We still had some chinese winter squash from the summer (even though we harvested them from our garden in August, the squash surprisingly stay firm until the winter or even longer). I used a medium sized squash and adapted this recipe to whatever ingredients I had on hand.
Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Roasted Winter Soup:
2 tablespoon butter
2 cups raw winter squash
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
- To make roasted winter squash: Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat butter over medium-high heat in an ovenproof saute pan; add diced squash, salt and pepper. When squash begins to brown, place pan in oven. Roast for 15 minutes or until medium-brown on all sides. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Puree in food processor, or mash with potato masher or ricer. Measure 1 1/2 cups squash; reserve.
- To make soup: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, carrot and bell pepper; saute until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes. Stir in reserved squash until smooth; simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. (The soup can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days or frozen for about 1 month. It will thicken as it cools and may need thinning with broth or water when reheating.)
- Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
*Optional: you can add shredded cheese for a nice mild cheesy taste (Danny and I did and it was yummy!)
