If you've never had roasted butternut squash soup, you've go to try it! You will hold a bowl of Autumn goodness in your hands, with fabulous color and flavor, and super simple to make! Here in Idaho we've just had our first snowfall of the season. When the weather turns cold I turn to hot soup for a weeknight meal. It's nice to sit over a hot bowl of deliciousness while watching the clumps of snowflakes float gently down out my window.
Butternut squash is arguably the most popular species of winter squash~ and is a good source of fiber and vitamins C, A, and E. It's a close relative to the pumpkin, and in Australia is even called a butternut pumpkin! When choosing your squash at the supermarket, look for ones that have a nice big long neck. That's where most of the flesh is that you will eat. The seeds are in the lower, more bulbous part of the squash.
Slicing up a butternut squash may look difficult, but it's actually simple when you follow the steps. When you have your squash picked out, slice off the stem and root end. Then slice the bulbous end away from the neck. Next, make sure you have a good vegetable peeler on hand, because you'll need it to peel the skin off both parts of the squash. And watch out, the squash is slippery when peeled! Chop the bulb end in half and scoop out the seeds. Now you can chop your squash into chunks (1 inch to 1 and 1/2 inch size) for roasting in the oven!
This recipe also uses chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce, which is full of great flavor. I personally try to scrape most of the seeds out of the chipotle chile before dicing it. They are FULL of seeds. The chicken broth can be replaced with vegetable broth for a more vegetarian friendly version. One more note on this recipe~ do NOT substitute onion for the shallot, the flavor is way to strong for this recipe. Shallots have a sweeter, milder flavor that goes great with the squash. And I have to admit, I don't care for cilantro. Yep. I said it. But I don't think I'm the only one out there who doesn't like it. If you happen to be like me, just leave it out :0) Don't worry about substituting anything for it. The soup is just as delicious without it. :0)
Southwestern Roasted Butternut Squash
by
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Keywords: roast Butternut Squash winter fall
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 3 lbs), peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks about 1 inch in size
- 3 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 4-5 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- Optional: sour cream and tortilla chips
Instructions
1. Place your oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place squash, shallots, oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and toss to coat evenly. Then pour out onto a large, rimmed, roasting pan or baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 35-45 minutes.
2. Add 1/2 cup broth to the pan and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return to the oven and roast again for five minutes to glaze the vegetables.
3. In two batches, puree the squash and shallot with broth in a blender until smooth. Pour out into a large sauce pan or dutch oven and stir in the honey, lime juice, cumin, and cream. Bring soup to simmer over medium-low heat, adding broth or water to adjust the consistency to your liking. Just prior to serving, stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or tortilla chips. The soup will keep in the fridge for a few days.
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