Roasted Butternut Squash Soup w/ Herbed Croutons by Jennah Jensen

Celebrate the change in seasons with this cozy roasted butternut squash soup! I love this recipe because it’s not only wholesome but it’s also simple to make. Roasting the veggies is the secret that effortlessly gives this soup a delicious and caramelized depth of flavor! For a little added dimension, I’ve included a quick and easy herbed crouton recipe that you and your family will love! Cheers to good health all year long!

        Ingredients:

        For the Soup:

• 1 large butternut squash (about 8 cups), cubed

• 1 large yellow onion (about 4 cups), sliced

• 8 large garlic cloves

• 3 cups vegetable broth

• several tablespoons olive oil for roasting

• salt & pepper for roasting

        Optional Garnishes:

• drizzle of canned coconut milk

• microgreens

        For the Croutons:

• 3 cups bread (I’m using sourdough), cubed

• 3 tablespoons plant-butter or butter of choice, melted

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

        Method:

• Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. or about 200 C.

• While the oven is preheating, peel and cube the butternut squash, discarding the seeds. Slice the onion and peel the garlic cloves, leaving the cloves whole.

• Add the prepared veggies to a lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to combine and sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper on top.

• Bake on the middle rack for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.

• Once the vegetables are done roasting add the vegetable broth to a blender, then carefully transfer in the roasted veggies. Adding the broth first will help to get the blades moving. Working in batches if necessary, blend until creamy smooth. If needed, transfer to a pot on the stovetop to heat up. Alternatively, you can add the broth and veggies straight to a pot on the stovetop and blend using an immersion blender.

• Upon serving, top with optional garnishes, croutons, and enjoy!

        For the Croutons:

• While the veggies are roasting in the oven, cube 3 cups of bread into small bite sized pieces.

• Drizzle in the melted butter along with the Italian seasoning and salt. Toss to combine then add the croutons to a lined baking sheet.

• Once the veggies are finished roasting, leave the oven on and swap out the veggies for the prepared croutons. Bake for 10-12 minutes flipping halfway through.

*Makes about 4 servings for each.

* Some Practical Tips: This recipe is easy to tailor to your ingredients! Because there’s really no way for me to know how many cups your butternut squash will yield, a good rule of thumb is to try and match the size of your squash with the size of your onion. For example, if you buy a large butternut squash, buy a large onion. For every cup of squash, use one large garlic clove. Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot, roasting the garlic will reduce its pungency! Remember that the bigger your produce, the more servings you’ll have. If necessary you can use two small butternut squashes/onions to make up the difference. Don’t overthink it too much and most importantly, just have fun with it!

Jennah Jensen is a vegan, blogger and recipe extraordinaire! You can follow along her adventures, find her recipes and be inspired by her musings here and follow along on Instagram @jennahjensen