No Fuss Butternut Squash Soup

By Lianne Lessard

When I used to work at a farmer’s market, one of the greatest life hacks I ever received from a customer was how
to roast squash in the oven. It was a simple hack, barely a sentence long but it changed my life forever. It was this:
“When you’re roasting squash for soups, just throw it in the oven whole!”. If you are planning on making a squash
soup, squash muffins or any recipe where you need cooked squash flesh, this is the way you want to go. Some time
when you’re puttering around the house, throw your desired squash or pumpkin into the oven, in a baking dish,
WHOLE. You can wash the skin to get the dirt off but you don’t need oil or spices or to painstakingly cut it open,
peel it or scoop the seeds out. Usually I’ll stick it in the oven between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Small sizes
of squash, like delicata, only need 20-25 minutes, a large butternut might take an hour…as you can see I’m very
casual with my cooking! After the squash is done – it should be soft when you press it with a fork – pull it out of the
oven and let it rest and cool down, your house should smell amazing at this point. Sometimes I want to make soup
right away and manage to handle the squash in half an hour, you can also bake it in the morning and make soup in
the evening or you can place it in the fridge overnight to use the next day! If your squash roasting has gone
correctly, you can peel off the skin more easily than a banana peel and access the seeds and scoop them out into
the compost without a hitch! It’s a beautiful thing to make life easier for yourself, less mess, less fuss, less muscle
and a faster delivery of delicious soup to your belly.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• oil or butter
• 2 large white potatoes
• 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• salt, pepper, spices to taste
• coconut milk or cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place squash in baking dish and roast whole, 45-55 minutes.
2. After squash has cooled, peel skin and discard, scoop out seeds and discard.
3. Starting your soup, in a large pot on medium heat place oil, chopped onions and garlic and stir until translucent
   (4 minutes). Add chopped potatoes and stir, cover with chicken stock.
4. After stock has come to a boil, add your squash flesh, let cook until potatoes are tender.
5. This is a great point to add any spices, salt and pepper you desire. Some great options are rosemary and thyme.
   Some folks like to curry their squash soups or spice it with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
6. With an immersion blender or regular blender, emulsify your soup until smooth. Optionally you can add coconut
   milk or cream at this point to make a creamier soup. I like to add dairy directly to each bowl so that the soup stays
   fresh in the fridge longer.

I hope you enjoy it!