Roasted Butternut Squash Soup w/ Herb Croutons

OCTOBER RECIPE

I love butternut squash! I especially love making soup with it. You can pretty much do anything you want and it will turn out yummy.

This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free bread for the croutons and dairy free if you omit the heavy cream and sour cream.

Serves 8

KITCHEN TOOLS:

baking sheet

thick bottom pot

hand blender or regular blender

knife

cutting board

mixing bowl

THE SOUP:

3lbs butternut squash (2-3 squashes)

1/4 cup butter or olive oil

5 1/2 cups chicken broth (about 43.5 oz) OR vegetable broth

1 large onion

4 large garlic cloves - minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme - minced

1 1/2 tsp fresh sage - minced

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp fresh shredded ginger

1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

sea salt to taste

1/8 cup heavy cream (optional if don't want dairy)

sour cream for garnish (optional)

chives - chopped for garnish (optional)

THE CROUTONS:

1/2 loaf of bread - frozen

(gluten free option)

3 tbsp of melted butter or olive oil

1 tsp fresh thyme - minced

1 tsp fresh sage - minced

pinch salt and black pepper

THE TECHNIQUE:

The Squash

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squash in 1/2, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds. Put on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, making sure the entire exposed part of the squash is covered in oil. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until squash is soft. Pull out and cool. Scoop all the squash out from the skin and set aside. Turn oven down to 350 F.

The Soup

Melt butter (or heat up olive oil) over medium heat in thick bottom pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add squash, herbs, and ginger and stir for a 2 minutes. Now, add chicken broth (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Let soup simmer for about 20 minutes.

You can now take batches out and put into blender or take your hand blender and put it right into the soup to puree it. Return soup back to the pot. Add heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Adjust taste with salt and pepper.

The Croutons

Take 1/2 loaf of frozen bread out of the freezer 20 minutes before. Cut the loaf into cubes, your choice on size and put in mixing bowl. Toss the cubes with the melted butter (or olive oil), herbs, salt & pepper. Lay out on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until crispy.

Assemble soup with a spoonful of sour cream, croutons and chopped chives. Enjoy!