Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Velvety smooth and ultra silky, this Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup is the perfect way to commence your Thanksgiving dinner.
Are you guys ready for the quickly approaching feast? It’s a little over a week away, and I have yet to prepare my menu. I’ve given it a fleeting thought, but I haven’t actually sat down and really focused on what it is I’m going to make.
I do, however, know that we’ll be starting the meal with this vibrant, silky smooth Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup.
I’m a holiday soup newb. I usually serve a pretty impressive cheese board, but I decided to make my life a whole heck of a lot easier and serve soup instead. I realize that a cheese board technically isn’t all that hard to prepare-aside from cutting the cheese and assembling of the platter, it’s fairly simple.
This soup is just as easy as assembling a cheese board and can be made a few days in advance and reheated–either on the stove or in a slow cooker–the day you’re going to serve it.
Whenever I can make a dish in advance, I take full advantage of it. The less prep work I have to do the day of, the better. Really, there’s not a lot of prep work required. After you peel and chop the veggies, the oven and blender do the rest.
My two flavor weapons for this soup is a splash of apple cider and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The apple cider adds a hint of sweetness, while the Parmigiano Reggiano adds a pop of nuttiness.
Parmigiano Reggiano is exclusively from Italy and contains only 3 ingredients: milk, salt, and rennet. It never contains additives of any kind. To ensure you’re buying authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, look for pinhole dots on the rind. If you’re unsure you’re getting the real deal, ask your cheesemonger for assistance.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Velvety smooth and ultra silky, this Roasted Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup is the perfect way to commence your Thanksgiving dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash (about 6 cups), peeled and diced
- 3 large sweet potatoes (about 4 cups), peeled and diced
- 3 large carrots (2 cups), roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, divided
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, divided
- 3 and 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 cup crumbled bacon for topping
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Divide the chopped vegetables and garlic between two sheet pans in an even layer. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over each pan. Sprinkle each pan of vegetables with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Sprinkle each pan with 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to the bowl of a high-powered blender or food processor, working in two batches. Add half each of the chicken stock, apple cider, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and half and half. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container if you don’t plan on serving the soup immediately. If serving immediately, transfer to a large pot or bowl of a slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with the second patch of veggies. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Disclosure: This recipe was developed for the lovely folks at Parmigiano Reggiano. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my recipes and site while I work with brands I adore.