Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

For the Sheva Brachot, I made 2 soups. 

 This soup was a hit! 

Below are the basic amounts, but, this recipe is very flexible. 

I made enough to serve 28 people, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients:

2 butternut squashes, peeled and roasted in 425* oven

2 onion, sliced

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut

Alternative: my sister adds cooked chickpeas instead of sweet potatoes.

4 carrots, peeled and roasted

Optional: 2 parsnips or parsley roots, peeled and roasted. I used a small amount 

Optional:1 bay leaf

Salt, pepper, fresh garlic

Optional: my mother makes this soup with ginger and cumin.

Water to cover

Optional: chopped fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish

Instructions:

Roast squash, carrots, and parsnips in 425* oven.

Sauté onions in the pot until caramelized. Add roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes, and spices.  

My sister says that sautéing the onions is what gives it a great flavor. 

Add water and then bring to a boil, cover and simmer until done.  

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Puree with an immersion blender and adjust liquid to personal taste. 

I recommend not cooking with too much water and then adjusting the thickness of the soup after it is cooked. It is important to not make it too thick or too thin. 

My mother said that it is important to maintain the colour of the soup, so she does not recommend using white potatoes.

This can be made in a regular soup pot, a crock pot or a pressure cooker.

In a crockpot, cook on high or low until done. This is not my preferred method, as it makes the soup too dark.

In the pressure cooker: cook 3-5 minutes to pressure, quick release method, depending on how small you cut the sweet potatoes.

Adding fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro give it a beautiful fresh flavor and a dash of color.

Here are the pictures:

 

   
  
  

I guess I was a little time challenged, so I didn’t take pictures of the whole process.

As you can see, this is a very flexible recipe and easily adapted to individual preferences. Since I did not know the people who were coming, I opted for simple and basic. Some people can back for seconds, so this was a culinary success!

Enjoy!