Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Is it really as good as it sounds? YES. I make this soup allll the time. Need something comforting? Butternut soup. Cold? Butternut soup. Bored? Butternut soup. You get the idea. 

It's also the taste I most associate with fall (sorry, pumpkin spice lattes). October is squash season, and you can usually get cheap squash at any farm. Now that farm season is over, I like to get my squash from farmer's markets, but you can find them at any grocery store too. 

When I lived in Kelowna, one of my roommates loved to chop things. She'd chop all the butternut squash for me when I made soup- it was the BEST! I now (sadly) do all my own chopping. Costco sometimes has pre-cubed butternut squash in the fresh produce section, which is an amazing option for those of us on a time crunch as well. 

I love making this soup on the weekend when I have time to hang out while the squash roasts. It makes a big batch so you have soup all week! The soup is best with a piece of crusty bread or toast to dip/scrape the sides of the bowl. For gluten-free Vancouverites, my favorite gluten-free bread is the sourdough from Alkeme.

Avett Brothers- I and Love and You

INGREDIENTS

1 medium butternut squash, chopped in 1 inch cubes, approx. 4 cups
4 apples, chopped in 1 inch cubes (sweeter varieties work best)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
¼ olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
sea salt and ground pepper
honey, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread the chopped squash, apples, onions and peeled whole garlic cloves over the cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper (approximately. 1/4 tsp of each). Roast in oven until squash is golden brown, approximately 1 hour, stirring every twenty minutes or so. 

Add the roasted vegetables to a large pot, and pour in the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer. You may need to add more water as it boils off- the liquid should be just covering the vegetables. When the squash and apples are soft, blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also transfer to a stand blender to blend, but be cautious as the steam can blow off the lid if it's too hot. After it's all smooth, add the cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Some squash are slightly bitter, so you can add honey in small amounts (a tablespoon at a time) to taste.