Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple & Carrot Soup

After making numerous butternut squash soups, I’ve learned that roasting the ingredients beforehand makes all the difference. By roasting the ingredients, they caramelize and the spices you add while doing so are further absorbed. This Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple & Carrot Soup is wonderful for any cool day and is full of healthy ingredients.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple & Carrot Soup

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash, Halved and Seeded

2 Large Carrots, Peeled and Sliced

3 Apples, Peeled, Cored, and Chopped

1 Large Onion, Sliced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth/Vegetable Broth

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Thyme

Salt & Pepper

Optional: 1/2 Cup Apple Juice/Orange Juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Drizzle Butternut Squash Halves with about 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Season with Salt, Pepper, Thyme, and Cinnamon. Place halves skin side down on the baking sheet.

Combine the apples, carrots, half of the onion, and half of the garlic (2 cloves), in either a bowl or a Ziploc bag. Once again, drizzle with about 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Season with Thyme, Salt, and Pepper. Place on the baking sheet and roast everything together for about 30-40 minutes. *Keep an eye on your squash- roasting time depends on the size of the squash.*

Meanwhile, in a deep pot, heat 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Once it begins to smoke, add your leftover onion and cook until it is translucent. Add the other 2 diced garlic cloves, a touch of salt and pepper, and let that cook for about 30 seconds. Stir. Add your chicken broth and your apple (or orange) juice. Let simmer.

Once the fruit and vegetable medley has roasted for about 40 minutes, put everything except the butternut squash into the pot. If the squash looks soft and you can almost peel the skin right off (Check carefully! It will be hot!), keep it out of the oven and allow it to cool. If not, place it back in the oven at a lower temp, around 375° for 10-minute intervals until it looks ready. This all depends on how large your squash is, so keep an eye on it while cooking!

Once cooled enough to work with, peel off the skin, or scoop out the inside and place it in the pot. Allow it to simmer a bit more and then remove from heat.

You can either blend it right away or wait for it to cool. Either way, use an immersion blender, or carefully use a regular blender. Be careful while blending if it is still hot! Blend until there are no longer big pieces of squash left. You can, of course, leave it a bit chunkier, that is up to you!

If it is too thick, add a bit more broth, or water until it reaches the consistency you desire.

Garnish with diced apple pieces, and pepper to taste.