Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Kozmic Blues's Note:

I sort of made this one up as I went along...lol. Was so yummy, I didn't want to forget!! Roasting the butternut squash adds a really sweet, intense carmelized flavor tot he finished soup. (YUM< YUM) **Couple of notes: I used the already-peeled-and-seeded butternut squashes from Whole Foods. They come halved but NOT already cubed. I believe there were five (5) halves in the bag. I actually used 1 1/2 tsp of Cinamon PLUS, from Pampered Chef (which has cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, ginger etc.) as well as 1 tsp plain cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground ginger. PLEASE feel free to play with the spices as you see fit!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 ½ butternut squash , seeded and peeled
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper , to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion , chopped
• 2 celery hearts , chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger , grated
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 32 ounces vegetable stock
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon clove
• ¼ teaspoon allspice (optional)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• salt and pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. Chop butternut squash into 1-2" pieces.
2. Drizzle with oilive oil, salt and pepper, and roast with the whole garlic cloves in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes.
3. While squash roasts, add tsp of oil to a soup stock pot over medium heat.
4. Add margarine, onions, celery, salt, pepper, ginger, crushed red pepper if using) and saute for 10-12 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
5. Add cinamon (nutmeg, clove, ginger) and mix well.
6. Add a cup or so of the vegetable broth, stir to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.
7. Transfer cooked veggies and broth to a blender and puree until smooth.
8. Return to soup pot.
9. When squash is finished roasting, transfer squash and remaining stock to blender and puree until smooth. I did this in three batches - equal parts squash and vegetable stock.
10. Return pureed squash to soup pot, add brown sugar, and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes.
11. Check spices, salt and pepper. Adjust as needed. Enjoy!