Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

By Katrina Lander

Soup season is creeping up on us, and I can’t say I’m upset about it, who doesn’t love a warming soup on a cold, rainy day? For me personally, the best soups are those that pack flavour and are thicker in texture.

I’m a big fan of cooking in season; you get the full flavour, perfectly ripe produce, it helps the environment and is more nutritious. Butternut squash is in season in the UK from September through to December so make sure you don’t miss out.

My recipe can easily be made for a weekday meal or as a starter for a dinner party.

Prep: 15 mins 

Cook: 60 mins

Difficulty: Easy 

Serves : 4

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 900ml hot chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• Handful of pumpkin seeds
• Salt and pepper to season
• Chilli flakes (optional)

Method  

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place your chopped butternut squash and whole carrots in a large roasting tin, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1tbsp of olive oil, give the tin a shake to coat. Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning halfway during cooking until your squash is golden and tender. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large saucepan add 1tbsp olive oil over a medium heat. Add your garlic and leek and cook until softened – turn the heat off.
3. Chop your carrots and add to your saucepan along with the butternut squash, 500ml hot chicken stock and double cream. Whizz with a handheld blender until starting to thicken, add your remainder stock 100ml at a time, blend until smooth.
4. Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat, in a single layer add your pumpkin seeds and panfry for around 6 minutes, stirring frequently until lightly toasted and fragrant.
5. If required, gently reheat your soup and season to taste. Serve the soup with a scattering of pumpkin seeds, a dish of extra virgin olive oil and, if you like a bit of heat a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Top Tip

• Leftover soup is always a good idea, leave your soup to cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container where you can refrigerate for up to 3 days.