It’s snowing outside. Not enough to play in, just enough to chill me to the bone. My little toes haven’t been warm for days. Enter Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. This version is sweet and creamy. The honey, ginger and nutmeg make it so delicious, you’ll want to keep it all to yourself. I like to freeze the leftovers and eat them for lunch. It’s the one meal when no one bugs me so I can really enjoy every creamy spoonful. I absolutely love the flavors in this soup. I have a major sweet tooth and always come away from my meals craving dessert. With this soup being on the sweeter side I can usually tame that beast and escape the treats.

Roasted butternut squash soup is basically squash puree with a few other ingredients. You’ll need two large squashes for this recipe. This is what happens to my squash when I’m not looking. Hopefully the Sharpie doesn’t seep through the skin during cooking. (Do they make a Jim Halpert face emoji? Because that’s what I need here.)

Roasting the squash is key. It brings out a totally different flavor than steaming. And make sure the squash is cooked until it’s nice and soft otherwise you’ll get a bit of a gritty texture in the final product. Roasting the squash in the skin and scooping it out is so much easier that cubing it all up before hand. I hate that job.

Ginger is my favorite part of the soup. It’s not over-powering but you can definitely taste it. Grate off just enough for this recipe then pop the rest of the root in the freezer for future use.

Scoop the squash flesh into a pot and add the stock, honey and ginger. Then hit it with an immersion blender or blend in batches, which is a total pain. Get an immersion blender. I use mine all the time. But part of that is because my family has a crepe fetish.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

2 large butternut squash, seeded, cut in half down the middle
Melted butter for brushing
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 Tbs. honey
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Brush the squash with melted butter and season with a little salt and pepper. Lay the squash flesh side up on a sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until the flesh is soft.
Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown

What’s your favorite way to warm up when it’s crazy cold outside?