Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

A couple years ago we grew a butternut squash variety named “Atlas.” I highly recommend this variety to gardeners. It producs a large number of large, yet delicious, squashes. In figuring out what to do with them I came up with this recipe. The roasted vegetables give a nice caramel note to the soup, the squash is surprisingly satisfying and sustaining, and the chunks of vegetables keep it from being baby food. I hope it will become a family favorite of yours too. It pairs well with Thanksgiving Sandwiches.

Ingredients:

4 lbs Butternut Squash, halved and seeds removed
1 Large Onion, quartered
3 Large Carrots, peeled
1-2 Quarts of Stock (Veg or Chicken)
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1 tsp Thyme, dried
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F
Lightly spray or oil baking sheet and place prepared vegetables on it, making sure squash is cavity side down, roast at 425F for 60-90 minutes until squash is completely baked through
Remove vegetables from oven, remove squash from skin and place squash “meat” in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat on the stove.
Use a stick blender to puree squash, while slowly adding chicken stock to bring to a smooth consistency.
Coarsely chop carrots and onions and add to soup
Add Rosemary, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper
Stir in Olive oil until incorporated, cover pot, stirring occasionally until brought to a boil.