Roasted Squash Soup

One of my favorite things about Fall and the cooler weather is that I get to cook lots of SOUP!  I love soup for a few reasons:  it tastes delicious, it's filling with less calories, it's an easy way to get in extra veggies, you cook it one day and can eat it for several!

I adapted this Roasted Squash Soup from a recipe I saw Rachael Ray make on her show recently.  She added honey and some citrus zest to hers, making it a sweeter soup, but I prefer the savory flavors.

Roasted Squash Soup

(adapted from Rachael Ray's Recipe)

image source

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash - peeled and chopped
1 acorn squash - peeled and chopped (you could really use any type of squash or pumpkin for these)
EVOO
Salt/Pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 onion - chopped
2 carrots - peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 stalks of celery - chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
32 ounces chicken stock or water
1/2-1 tsp each: parsley, oregano, tarragon, thyme (I didn't measure these exactly)
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1.  Toss the squash with EVOO and salt/pepper.  Roast for 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
2.  Meanwhile, melt the butter with a drizzle of EVOO in a large soup pot.
3.  Saute the vegetables (including garlic) in the pan until just softened.
4.  Add the stock and spices to the vegetable mixture.
5.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the veggies soften.
6.  Once the squash is roasted, add it to the soup pot.  Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or use an immersion blender.

Yum!
Sharing with Jen at Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesdays!