Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
This is a nice little fall/winter soup. It has a very rich flavor. It is creamy without cream, making it a very low fat soup. As butternut squash soup recipes go, this is relatively easy (it's still involved compared to some soup recipes). The flavor of the squash really comes through with roasted garlic providing the hint of sweetness. Originally served as part of: Mushroom Polenta.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- to taste salt & pepper
- sprinkle dried thyme
- sprinkle dried rubbed sage
- 4 cloves unpeeled garlic
- 1½ cups chicken, canned stock
- olive oil
- fresh, for garnish parsley (chopped)
Instructions
We begin by pre-heating the oven to 425 degrees.
We rinse and dry the butternut squash. With a sharp knife on a cutting board, we carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. We scoop out the seeds, reserving them on a paper towel. We sprinkle the cut-side with salt, pepper, thyme, and sage and lay them flat on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (although it would have been better to use a pan with sides since we soon will see that the "squash juice" will make a mess of the oven!). We tuck the garlic cloves in the cavities of the squash and put in the oven. We roast until tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, we clean the seeds, picking out the squash bits, and laying them flat to dry on a plate.
When the butternut squash is tender, we take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes on the cutting board. We reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees to roast the squash seeds. We put a clean sheet of parchment on the cookie sheet, toss the seeds with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them on the parchment. We roast them in the oven until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
While the seeds are in the oven, we peel the squash halves with a knife and put the pieces in our food processor. We take the skins off the cloves of garlic, and add them to the processor with a half cup of chicken stock (water or vegetable stock could be substituted for a vegetarian soup). We puree the squash until smooth, and then gradually add the rest of the stock.
We pour the mixture into a pot, and bring it to a simmer. We add some more salt and pepper to taste and lower the heat. We take the roasted seeds out of the oven, spread them on a clean plate to cool, and we are ready for the soup!
We serve the hot soup sprinkled with parsley and the squash seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- salt and pepper
- dried thyme (a sprinkle)
- dried rubbed sage (a sprinkle)
- 4 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
- olive oil
- 1½ cups canned chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- fresh parsley (chopped)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Grown-up
Heat the oven to 425°F. Carefully halve the squash lengthwise with a sharp knife and scoop the seeds onto a paper towel. Season the cut sides with salt, pepper, thyme and sage. Lay them on a parchment-lined rimmed pan (the juices run), tuck the garlic into the cavities, and roast about 40 minutes, until tender.
Kid job
Meanwhile, clean the squash bits off the seeds and spread them on a plate to dry.
Let the squash cool a few minutes and lower the oven to 325°F. Toss the seeds with a little oil, salt and pepper on fresh parchment and roast about 5 minutes, until browned.
Peel the squash and put it in the food processor with the peeled roasted garlic and ½ cup of stock. Purée until smooth, then add the rest of the stock.
Bring the soup to a simmer in a pot and season. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley and the roasted seeds.