You know its fall when the stores stock up on pumpkins & winter squash and it makes my mind race thinking of all the different ways I can sneak them into every meal I plan. This soup is warm, silky, sweet & salty. It hits all the perfect autumnal notes while being fairly healthy. The best part is that you can make a big batch and it freezes well and can double as a sauce for a pasta or baked casserole just by thinning it out with a bit more stock. Swapping out heavy cream for coconut milk is a great vegan alternative and the topping choices are endless! Pictured, I used crispy bacon, toasted pepitas (which you can add a bit of salt and cayenne pepper if you're feeling spicy), and croutons made from a boule of Cranberry Walnut Bread I bought from Whole Foods. The croutons are even grilled IN the bacon fat, because why not?!
Ingredients:
1 butternut Squash; peeled/cubed
5-6 carrots peeled; cut into similar sized chunks
2 sweet potatoes; peeled/cubed
1 large yellow onion; diced
5-6 cloves of garlic; rough chop
2” Fresh Ginger; peeled, chopped
4-6 cups Stock (I used homemade chicken stock but vegetable works too) **plus more stock to thin soup
Fresh herbs; rosemary, thyme and sage
Olive/coconut Oil
Salt & Pepper
Optional:
1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
Pepitas
Bacon
Cranberry Walnut Bread (I bought at whole food bakery)
Heat oven to 425°, generously coat sweet potatoes, squash and carrots with olive oil, salt & Pepper and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roasted for about 30-40 min. Or until tender.
On the stove in a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil on medium heat and add onions, sauté until they start turning translucent and a bit caramelized. Add garlic, ginger and aromatics. Stir for about 2 minutes.
Add stock to onions & garlic. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 30+ minutes.
Once roasted vegetables are done, add to pot on stove and using an immersion blender (or you can use a regular blender and do a few batches) blend to get all chunks out.
Using a mesh strainer, push through the purée into a bowl, by this point the silky soup will need to be reheated on the stove and this is a great time to add more stock and/or heavy cream to make it your desired consistency. Season as needed with salt and pepper.
Cook bacon until crispy, set aside. Using the bacon fat in the pan, cube up the cranberry walnut bread into bite sized croutons; cook in fat until golden brown.
Toast your Pepitas in a small nonstick pan with coconut oil, season with salt and pepper or if you want to add some heat- salt & cayenne pepper.
Komentar