Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Who cares about how this recipe was born, all that matters is that it was.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 butternut squash, halved vertically and seeded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• Up to 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth (I used about 3 cups, but you can gauge it on the preferred thickness)
• Pinch of paprika for garnish
• Sriracha (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside (about 1 teaspoon each). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
2. Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through about 30-45 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Then use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into a bowl and discard the tough skin.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet (or large soup pot, if you’ll be serving soup from that pot), warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often until the onion has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
4. Transfer the cooked onion and garlic to your Vita-Mix blender. Add half of the reserved butternut and 1/4 of nutritional yeast. Pour in 1 cup vegetable broth, add an additional cup of soup is too thick. Continue to blend until you reach a good consistency. Empty into the soup pot.
5.  Blend the remainder of the butternut with 1 cup of vegetable broth and blend until you reach a good consistency, add to the soup pot.
6. Heat on the stovetop if your vegetable broth was room temperature.
7. Serve immediately (I love to top it with paprika and a little sriracha it evens out the sweetness of the soup.).
8. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.

My family really enjoyed this soup! It was perfect for a cold rainy day!