Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup

Yesterday was our last day of work, a bittersweet time in many ways. We left after saying reluctant goodbyes to many wonderful co-workers. It was an unusually silent car as we drove away, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until a loud rumble and clanking sound broke our melancholic lull. Our pensive quiet was replaced with a resigned amusement and a jolt back to practicality; we had managed to get a flat tire before we even left the parking lot. A tire change, careful drive home, and a trip to our local garage later, we were famished by the time we finally made it home. We heated up some Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup we'd made earlier in the week and dunked some of Paul's sourdough bread into the sweet goodness while we talked through our next life step. This soup is a master at capturing the nuanced sweetness of natural caramelization and the subtle nuttiness of roasted onion, garlic and butternut squash. While Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup tastes rich and complex, it is in reality just a very simple roasted vegetable puree turned into a velvety fall soup. We have adapted this recipe from James Peterson. For more information on his soup cookbook and others, check out our bookshelf.

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Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds butternut squash (about 2 small or 1 large), halved, seeds removed
• 4 heads garlic, outer paper removed as much as possible and the top cut off just barely revealing the cloves
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
• 2 red onions, peeled and cut in half
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3-4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Steps:

1. Heat the oven to 375.
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the garlic, carrots and onions with the canola oil.
3. Place the vegetables on a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment. Rub oil unto the butternut squash(es) and add to the baking sheet. Vegetables can be touching but should not be overlapping, use another baking sheet if you need additional space.
4. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, turning the vegetables (but not the squash) to roast evenly. Check the onion, garlic and carrot at the 1 hour mark and remove from the pan if they are getting too dark, depending on their size, they may finish roasting prior to the butternut. 
5. Once cool enough to handle, remove the garlic cloves from their shell and add the garlic and other roasted vegetables directly to a large soup pot. 
6. Scoop the squash pulp into the soup pot as soon as you can safely handle it.
7. Add the thyme and broth and puree with a handheld blender or in a food processor until smooth. We typically pour this soup through a strainer to get a very creamy and smooth consistency, but this step is a matter of preference.
8. Reheat your pureed soup, add the salt (more or less depending on the saltiness of your broth) and adjust the consistency with more broth or water. 
9. This soup will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days and freezes well.