Hello,
Today we have a delicious and nourishing seasonal soup recipe, which is easy to make and perfect for lunch or as a light dinner when the days begin to get chilly.
Butternut squash soup
Ingredients
600g/20oz butternut squash cut into cubes (the skin is edible, but peel if you prefer).
Reserve the seeds for roasting – see below.
1 carrot
1 leek
4 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion
750ml/3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (Add more stock to taste if you prefer a thinner soup)
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F. Liberally season the chopped squash with salt and pepper, place on a baking tray with some olive oil, the sage leaves and garlic cloves, bashed/smashed but not peeled.
Roast for 25 – 30 minutes until golden and tender. Meanwhile, melt some butter (or use olive oil if you prefer) in a large, covered pan and soften the onion, leek and carrot over a medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes. Add the nutmeg, stir, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
When ready, remove the squash from the oven and put the seeds in to roast, as per the instructions below.
Add the roasted squash to the saucepan with the other vegetables, and squeeze the soft garlic cloves from their skins to add to the soup.
Cook for a further 10 minutes, then blend. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, roasted squash seeds, and crusty bread.
Roasted Butternut Squash Seeds
Rinse the seeds, removing any bits of squash. Dry in kitchen paper, then put the seeds in a bowl and toss with a splash of olive oil to coat. Spread the seeds on a baking tray and roast for ten minutes in the oven after the squash has been cooked. If cooking separately, preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F.
We hope you enjoy this recipe – do let us know if the comments if you try it, or please share any other favourite soup recipes for this time of year.
Until next time,
Claire and Sam
p.s. We have another tasty soup recipe here