This is the soup you make if you're cold, hungry, and ready to lean on the oven and blender to do all the heavy lifting.
Sick of peeling and chopping? This one's for you.
Looking for a home for a bunch of vegetables? Grab a bowl and a spoon.
Roasting doesn't seem like a special technique because most of us do it all the time. But don't forget, it can create deep flavours and bring out the natural sweetness hiding in many veggies. Butternut squash is a prime candidate because it has lots of that natural sweetness to go around. It's texture just collapses under the heat meaning you barely need a knife and you certainly do not need a peeler.
Blended soup like this is what I recommend to my clients trying to add more fibre, but don't yet have those guts of steel that can handle large bowls of salad. It's what I recommend to my clients who are anxiously eating quickly at their desk because it requires no chewing (so no opportunity to swallow improperly chewed foods). It's what I love to batch prep because I don't have to chop up 10 carrots. It's what I love to use up different veggies lurking around my fridge (especially veggies in the white, red and orange categories). It's what I crave when I need a big warm hug but I also really need dinner.
A simple smooth soup like this loves a topping so I included a few options below. It's not essential but texture is important.
So let's get into it.
Ingredients
2 medium sized butternut squashes, cut into quarters, seeds scooped
1 medium to large onion, cut into quarters
1 head garlic, cut crosswise
2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
*can also add cauliflower, peppers, sweet potato here
about 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 bunch each thyme and sage
salt and pepper
olive oil
2-4 tbsp brown butter
1-2 tbsp miso paste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Toss vegetables with salt, pepper and olive oil and make sure they're all well coated.
Place squash cut side down on the tray and tuck the sage and thyme underneath.
Place the garlic in the cavity left from the squash seeds.
Roast for about 40 minutes. The onions will likely be finished first and may need to be removed from the tray if they start to darken too quickly. They should be completely soft, raw onion is not delicious
Once all the veggies can be easily pierced with a fork, allow to cool slightly.
Use a spoon to scrape the squash from the skins.
Squeeze the garlic cloves from their papery skins with your hands - this is very satisfying.
Transfer all the vegetables to the blender and add some broth. You will need to do this in 2-3 batches. Add as much broth as you need for it to blend nicely and for you to get the texture you want.
Blend until completely smooth and velvety then transfer to a large pot.
Simmer on low to bring the flavours together. Add the butter and miso right at the end and give one final stir. Season with salt and pepper.
topping options
cooked crumbled sausage
croutons and feta cheese
crusty bread and goat cheese
crispy roasted chickpeas
toasted pumpkin seeds
drizzle each of tahini and chili crisp
-xo olivia
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