Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This is a wonderful soup with simple flavors. The sweetness of the roasted squash is the center piece with a light hint of the garlic and shallot. I found this soup to be very light on it's own, so pairing it with a sandwich or crackers will make this a filling, healthy and tasty meal. You may also try this over pasta as a butternut squash pasta sauce. Double this recipe and you'll be sure to have some leftovers to use in various ways.

Here I paired it with half a sandwich consisting of a toasted sprouted wheat bread smeared with my simple white bean hummus and topped with tomato, avocado, salt & pepper. Nothing fancy just good simple foods. This was great together, and filling! 

Also, some leftovers I had sprinkled with caraway seeds and served with whole grain rye mini toasts I picked up from Trader Joe's.

 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed into 1 inch peices (appx. 4 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 small shallots or 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare vegetables, toss with olive oil and place on roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, cooking until squash is tender. Remove any onion or garlic that seems to be over roasting. Remove and let cool for 10 to 15 min.

Make your soup one of two ways:

One: Place roasted vegetables, liquids and salt in large pot, use submersion blender to blend until smooth. Depending on how much squash you actually used, add more liquid as needed for desired consistency. Cook on medium low until heated through. Taste for seasoning.

or...

Two: Place squash and shallots in blender/food processor and blend until creamy. In large pot place blended mix and add water and salt. Cook on medium low until heated through adding more liquid as needed and taste for seasoning.

Serve as you like...

Enjoy!