Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup

It's so hard for this die-hard squash lover to resist buying up all the squash in sight with rock-bottom prices like .59, .69, and .79 cents a pound! I came home from the market to discover I was in possession of 6 of them! And then a couple of days later...oops! One more makes seven. It was inevitable that a soup would be made. If ever a soup could sing then this one did. The roasted garlic and Parmesan balanced out the sweetness of the squash. It was a perfect harmony of earthy, sweet, and salty. This is an extremely forgiving soup, as most are, that's just one of the many things I love about them. A little extra squash - vegetable instead of chicken stock - heavy cream instead of milk - Romano instead of Parmesan - nutmeg instead of sage - no problem! Twist it around your little finger and make it your own. Just be sure to make it!





Roasted Garlic & Butternut Parmesan Soup
(by Reeni)(Makes 6-7 bowls)

1 bulb of garlic
Olive oil
1 large Butternut squash(about 6 cups cubed)
1 yellow onion, diced
Sea salt
Fresh Pepper
1 tablespoon Sage, fresh, chopped, or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried
2 - 14.5 ounce cans of Chicken Broth
1 cup Whole Milk
1 cup Parmesan or Romano Cheese, grated/shredded
Smoked Sea Salt, Parmesan, and Extra-Virgin Olive oil for serving


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice off the top of the garlic and remove some of the outer skin. Place in a very small casserole dish or a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with Olive oil and bake for 1 hour. Roast the squash at the same time.





3. Slice the butternut squash lengthwise, clean out the seeds, place face down in a baking pan sprayed with baking spray or lined with foil. Add an inch to two of water. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender.

4. Remove the garlic and squash. Allow to cool until it won't burn to handle it. In a small bowl squeeze the garlic from the cloves. Remove the skin from the squash. Rough chop.

5. Saute the onion in a large sauce pan or soup pot in a tablespoon or two of Olive oil over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper. When the onion is soft and translucent add the sage and the garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat.

6. In a blender or food processor puree the squash with the broth and onion mixture. (Or add it all to the sauce pan and use a good immersion blender). Work in two batches if necessary. Return the mixture to the pan. Bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

7. Add about a cup of soup back to the blender. Puree with milk. Add back to soup, bring to a simmer.

8. Add the Parmesan, stir in well and allow to melt. Turn off heat. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if needed.

9. Serve with smoked sea salt, Parmesan, and a drizzle of Olive oil if desired. Crusty bread is a necessity!

Print Recipe


I have to send a huge thanks to the very generous Scharffen Berger for gifting me with a box full of goodies that included this Apple Smoked Sea Salt sprinkled over the top of my soup - it was absolutely delicious! More on my chocolate adventure with Scharffen Berger in an upcoming post!



I'm sending this to Deb of Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper(Soup, Salad, or Sammie) Sunday
round-up!






Roasted Garlic & Butternut Parmesan Soup