Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Tonight’s soup was so creamy and smooth, it was simply warming and delicious. Butternut squash can be a bit of a pain to prepare for soup, so my favorite way to do it is by roasting it first. Not only does it make the tough skin slip right off, but the roasting heightens the sweet and nutty flavours of the squash. As a nice added touch, roast the squash seeds and use them as a tasty garnish.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, sliced in half
• 2 medium-sized onions, peeled and diced
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2” piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, plus a pinch more for seeds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds using a spoon. Rinse the seeds and remove as much pulp from them as you can then lay them out onto a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over them along with a pinch of sea salt and ground cumin. Cook in oven for 5 minutes (careful not to burn them). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Drizzle olive oil over squash and sweet potato, add a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down onto a baking sheet. The sweet potatoes can be laid out onto the same baking sheet.
4. Cook sweet potatoes for approx. 20 minutes or until fork tender. Cook squash for approx. 50 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
5. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
6. Now that the squash has cooled slightly, remove the peel, roughly cut the squash into large cubes and add into the pot along with the sweet potato.
7. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes, making sure the squash is tender.
8. Using a handheld blender, puree the soup. Add coconut milk and stir.
9. Garnish with roasted squash seeds and serve. Enjoy!