- Hey guys, I'm back.
If you've been following along on Instagram stories,
you know that I just got home
from the most epic, soul fulfilling,
and adventurous three weeks traveling
through Israel and Jordan.
Not only were the sites spectacular,
but the food was amazing, and you better believe
that there will be some new recipes
coming to this channel soon, inspired by my trip.
For things like baba ganoush, falafels, and shakshuka.
I'm also gonna try to put together a little video montage
of my trip, because I actually shot quite a bit
of video on my iPhone.
So you'll have to stay tuned for that.
But today, since we're smack-dab in the middle of fall,
and Thanksgiving is next week,
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite fall recipes,
and that's butternut squash soup.
Many people make butternut squash soup on the stove top,
but my favorite method is
to roast the butternut squash first.
You know I love roasted veggies,
and roasting the butternut squash
not only gives it a delicious depth of flavor,
but it also saves you from having to peel
and dice the butternut squash, which is always a bonus.
So let me show you how to make it.
To start, pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit
and then grab your butternut squash.
You want a butternut squash
that's between 3 1/2 to four pounds,
which is about this size.
Now butternut squash, like other winter squash or pumpkins
can be notoriously difficult to slice through.
So make sure that your knife is sharpened
and then carefully slice the ends off the squash.
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Once you've got a flat surface on both ends,
you can stand it upright and slice it down the middle.
I find that a slow rocking motion is best
when cutting through the squash,
and ideally, you'd like to cut it more equally
in half than what I did today.
I didn't do a very good job,
but not to worry as it will still cook just fine.
Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membrane,
and I highly recommend saving the seeds
to make roasted pumpkin seeds afterwards.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are a great healthy snack
this time of year, and they're perfect
for parties and gatherings as well.
Drizzle the butternut squash with a little avocado oil
and use your fingers to make sure it's fully coated.
Then sprinkle it with salt and pepper,
flip it over on the tray so that the cut side is down,
place it in the oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.
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While the squash is cooking, you can cut a small onion
in half and coat it with a little avocado oil.
After your 30 minute timer goes off,
add the onion to your baking sheet, cut side down,
and set the timer for another 30 minutes.
When the squash comes out of the oven, it'll be hot.
So carefully flip it over and then let it cool just enough
so that you can handle it.
Your squash should have a beautiful caramelization on it,
which adds a lovely natural sweetness to your soup.
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Use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh of the squash
and place it in your Vitamix or other high-powered blender.
It should be buttery soft and really easy to scoop out.
Then remove the outside skin of the onion
and toss it into your blender as well,
add a couple cloves of garlic,
a half a tablespoon of maple syrup,
one teaspoon of sea salt, a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg,
and a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger.
To that, we'll add three to four cups of vegetable broth.
I always start with about three cups
and then check the consistency
after blending to see if I need to add more.
I also add two tablespoons of butter,
which makes the soup extra creamy,
but you could leave this off if you're vegan or dairy free.
Add the lid to your blender and blend for several minutes,
until it's hot and creamy.
If you have a soup setting on your blender,
like I do on my Vitamix, it makes things super easy.
After checking the consistency of the soup,
I've decided to add the remainder of the broth.
Because while I do like it thick,
I also want that soupy consistency.
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For garnish, roughly chop a few tablespoons of parsley
and grab some pepitas which are pumpkin seeds.
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Pour the butternut squash soup into a serving bowl,
top with a handful of papitas, a sprinkle of parsley,
and some cracked black pepper.
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And there you have it, roasted butternut squash soup.
I hope you guys enjoyed today's video,
and if you did, make sure to give it a thumbs up
and hit that subscribe button below,
so you don't miss my next video.
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