What is it about soup that is so comforting? Is it that it warms you all the way through from heat to toe to your soul? Or that it naturally slows you down because it’s hard to eat a hot soup fast. One of the reasons I love soup is because it is usually pretty easy to make, there is not a whole lot of planning involved, it’s quick, and most of the times you can make soup out of leftovers.

I remember as a kid my mom was very good at repurposing leftovers, and we had learned that by the third day if she hadn’t come up with something more creative, she was going to turn it into soup!

Even my daughter in kindergarten said her favorite food is soup. Not pizza, not pasta, not ice cream, soup. That’s my girl!

I am labeling the difficulty level as “intermediate” but that’s only because this recipe is not your typical throw-in-the-pot-all-the-ingredients-and-let-it-cook kind of soup. There are a few parts to prepare separately and you will need an emersion blender or blender to puree it. I do have a quicker, easier version in the Variations sections below.

Serves 6       Difficulty level – intermediate

Ingredients:

For roasting the butternut squash:

• 1 large butternut squash – about 1.5 – 2 pounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• pinch of freshly ground pepper

For the soup

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger, separated into 2 and 1 tablespoon portions
• 1 carrot, cut into ½ “ pieces
• Crème Fraiche and pumpkin seeds for garnish – optional

For the croutons

• about 2 cups cubed hearty bread like baguette or french bread
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½-1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Cut, seed, peel, and chop the butternut squash into cube-ish pieces. The shape doesn’t matter so much, as long as they are about the same size so they will cook evenly. Toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Roast in the oven until soft and slightly brown about 25-30 minutes. Lower the heat to 375° for the croutons.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of ginger. Sauté in the butter until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the roasted squash and enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat to low and use an emersion blender to puree the soup. Alternatively, puree in a Vitamix. If using a Vitamix, 1, be very careful because the soup will be hot. And two, you will need to do it in 2 batches. Keep warm.

Toss the cubed bread with olive oil and thyme. Bake in the 375° oven until crisp, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the rest of the chopped ginger, stir, and serve hot with the herbed croutons.

Variations:

• Use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. In a pinch, you can also use water.
• Add about ½ cup cream or crème fraiche right after you puree the soup for a richer flavor and texture.
• Short on time? Instead of roasting the butternut squash, throw it in the pot after the onions and carrots are sautéed. Add the stock, cover with a lid, and cook until soft, about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the cut.
• Instead of butternut squash, use Kabocha squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.

Do Ahead:

• Butternut squash can be roasted 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• The whole soup can be made 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.
• The croutons can be made up to one day ahead

Just for Halloween…