Bring fall to spring with a bowl of roasted butternut squash soup
Natalie Laczewski | Daily Trojan
The first day of spring just passed, but it doesn’t mean we have to box up our favorite recipes from seasons past.
During a trip to Ralph’s, I stumbled upon a package of pre-cut butternut squash which to me was very exciting because, firstly, butternut squash is extremely difficult to peel and cut, and secondly, one of my favorite soups is roasted butternut squash soup which is usually more in season during the fall. But just because it’s spring does not mean we cannot enjoy a bit of an earthy, delicious fall favorite.
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 large butternut squash (or a pre-cut package)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 green apple sliced and cored (I did not have any apples at the time so I did without, and the soup still tasted great)
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 1⁄2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder (I used paprika)
- 2 tbs ghee (if you want it to be paleo, ghee is still technically dairy but is basically pure fat; I used butter instead)
- 3 cups chicken broth
First, chop all of your vegetables and apples (optional) and place them in a bowl. Toss them with olive oil and with a bit of the spices listed above. Spread them out onto a baking sheet and roast for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Heat up ghee or butter in a large pot on the stove. Combine the roasted ingredients in the pot with the chicken broth. Add the remainder of the seasonings, about 1 tsp of salt, chili powder and cinnamon.
Bring the ingredients to a boil and then reduce heat. Let simmer, covered for about 20 minutes.
Once simmered to perfection, you can either transfer the ingredients to a blender to puree them, or I found my roommate’s immersion blender to do a much quicker and efficient job — no extra mess or blender to clean up as well.
Reminisce a little about fall this spring day over a bowl of savory and creamy roasted butternut squash soup.
Natalie Laczewski is a freshman majoring in communication. Her column, “Food for Thought,” runs Wednesdays.
