Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Best Ever

Squash soup can range from savory to candy-like. This recipe can be made as sweet as you like and then garnished accordingly.

Butternut Squash Soup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups 1 inch cube butternut squash
1 medium onion, large dice
2 apples, peeled,cored and cut in chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon chicken stock paste
2 cups milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon nutmeg or ginger (freshly grated if possible)
Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw sugar or honey
Balsamic Glaze or chopped herbs to garnish
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour olive oil into a roasting pan. Add squash, onion and apple. Toss to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a sauce pan. Add water, chicken stock past and milk. Using an immersion blender, purée until smooth. Stir in buttermilk, nutmeg or ginger and sugar or honey if using.  Heat through and serve with garnish of choice. Serves 6 to 8.

Hints: Roasting the veggies makes a big difference in flavor. They will be soft and slightly charred.
This will add a depth to the flavor of the soup. I make mine without any sugar or honey and garnish with the sweet glaze. The nutmeg or ginger version are equally delicious...hard to choose. This recipe works great with pumpkin, banana squash or acorn squash. It reheats well and freezes well. Serve alone or with a grilled Swiss cheese sandwich and/or salad.

This time of year is soup-er. The glorious chill in the air is a fresh start for cooks. We put on our baking hats and pull out our stock pots and freshen our pantries. We look for soul satisfying  recipes to fulfill our creative needs and feed our loved ones emotionally as well as physically. Soups harken back to times past, to the basic ideas of hearth and home, to the memory of nurturing. Making soup is a skill that will serve you well for a long time.