Butternut Squash Soup with Tart Apples

It’s definitely squash season. The varieties are abundant at most farmers markets and grocery stores. My favorites these days are butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash, but all are delicious and pretty simple to prepare. This recipe was inspired by Dr. Weil’s squash soup recipe featured on the NY Times. 

1 butternut squash, peeled, cut in half, seeded and chopped into about 2” pieces

2 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into about 2” pieces

2 Tbs good olive oil

2 sweet yellow onions, peeled and chopped into large pieces

1/2 to 1 tsp sea salt

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsp red chile powder

4 cups GF vegetable or chicken broth

Pesto for serving (you can make your own or use a store-bought version. I used Trader Joe’s jarred Basil Pesto)

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

In a large roasting pan, add squash, garlic, apples, and onion together. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well to coat. Sprinkle with salt and red chile powder and stir again. Bake for 40 minutes, tossing the mixture about every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. 

Working in batches, add roasted veggies and 1 cup of broth at a time to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and add to a large pot. Continue until all veggies and broth have been blended together. Simmer the soup on low heat for about 20 minutes to warm through. Serve with a dollop of pesto in each serving bowl.