Butternut Squash Soup - Vegan

Kozmic Blues's Note:

This was one of the recipes I made in the Vegetarian Cooking class I attended at Johnson & Wales University Culinary School. This soup was particularly delicious because you could REALLY taste the sweet, earthy goodness of the squash, because it was not masked over by heaps of butter or cream. This class was also the first time I had used an immersion blender (industrial stength, of course!). This mechanical wonder pureed our gigantic pot of soup into pure, velvety smoothness in minutes. At home, I will probably use my plain ol' blender, and work in batches. Since I did get this recipe from the chefs at the Culinary School, please note the "precise"ness of the directions regarding the size of the dice etc. I am sure at home, we are all not that precise, but for one day, it was fun to cook with the pros!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 35 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 20

• 3 quarts vegetable stock
• 4 lbs butternut squash
• 2 cups carrots, diced 1/2 inch dice
• 2 cups celery, diced 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup onion, diced 1/2 inch dice
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 2 teaspoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Cute butternut squash in half lenghtwise and remove seeds.
2. Place squash cutside down on a parchment lined sheet pan and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until squash is soft to the touch, and the skin begins to pull away from the flesh.
3. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Spoon roasted squash out of the skin and pass it through a ricer or food mill to remove any of the stringy fibers.
5. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot and sute/swet the carrots, celery and onions, until the onions and carrots just start to caramelize.
6. Deglaze the pot with sherry.
7. Add the vegetable stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
8. Add the squash, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
9. Remove the by leaf, and puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until it reaches a smooth creamy consistency.
10. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.
11. Garnish with chopped parsley and paprika and serve.

Reviews

[ginnyluvs2run]

Great soup! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I usually make butternut squash soup with chicken broth but was looking for a vegetartian version. Will use this recipe from now on.

[rachelcooksfood]

Delicious! The sherry really makes the dish! Thank you for a great healthy dish!!

[Sarabelle]

Great recipe! Thanks for sharing. I've followed this recipe 3x now and each time has resulted in a fantastic soup. Great for cool fall nights.