Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Somehow time slipped away from me this past month & I didn't manage to make the butternut squash soup that was the Recipes to Rival challenge. I still wanted to make  butternut squash soup but decided to doing something a little less involved than making my own broth & creme fraiche.

I decided to roast the squash & onion for this soup because I love the depth of flavor & richness roasting brings to vegetables, especially onions. If I had fresh garlic on hand I would have roasted a clove as well but since I didn't I used garlic powder (Its rare I don't have fresh garlic in the house but I forgot to add it to the shopping list!). I also added a little balsamic vinegar to this since I thought it would be a good counterpoint to the sweetness of the squash. A drizzle of cream over the top of each serving added just the right amount of creaminess. This soup was a real winner & I'll definitely make it again. It made a perfect dinner served with some crispy garlic bread.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, about 2.5 lbs, peeled , seeded & cut into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled & cut into 8 pieces
1 - 1 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 c chicken broth 
1/2 t garlic powder
salt & pepper
heavy cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the butternut squash & onion in a baking dish. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the vegetables & mix to coat, add another 1/2 tablespoon if everything is not coated. Mix in 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Place in oven & roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring from time to time. The squash should be very soft & the onions beginning to brown. Allow to cool.

Place the roasted squash & onions in a soup pot with 2 cups of the chicken broth & use an immersion blender to process until smooth (you can also do this in a blender). Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, 1/2 t balsamic vinegar & 1/2 t garlic powder to the soup. Add salt & pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer & allow to simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning & serve. Drizzle a little cream over the soup if you wish.

Serves 3