roasted butternut squash soup

My husband loves the Butternut soup at Whole Foods. However, it’s really hard to come by. Although this soup isn’t quite the same, it does fill the need for butternut soup! And look at the sweet heart in the squash! Loved that. :)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

3 lbs of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about ½ inch cubes)

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 medium Granny Smith apple (about 8 ounces)

2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

8 fresh sage leaves or ½ teaspoon of dried sage

2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/3 cup almond milk

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the squash pieces on the baking sheet. Lightly drizzle (or spray, I use a Misto) with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add the shallot and the garlic cloves to the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, about 30-45 minutes.
   

   

   
   
3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice and set aside.
4. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle.
5. In the blender, combine the squash, garlic, shallots, and cut apple. If you want, (which I do), you can hold back about 1/2 cup of squash and mash it by hand with a potato masher or fork to give a bit more texture. I don't necessarily like it perfectly smooth.
6. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, and almond milk.
7. Purée the soup until smooth. You can remove the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the blender lid from popping off). Alternatively, use an immersion blender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds, if using. (It's really yummy that way, but we didn't have any!) I also like to serve rustic bread with it. Yum!