Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It's snowing and what better way to warm up then a hot bowl of this flavoursome soup. This is a great way to eat butternut squash. It's a fantastic vegetable with a whole load of goodness, full of potassium, vitamin C and a great source of fibre.

This recipe gives you a soup with a creamy texture as the butternut, once roasted has a dense and soft texture. I use chilli to add some heat, and I also cook the onions on a medium heat for a good twenty minutes. This adds a sweetness without adding any sugar. I guarantee that this soup will melt the snow away, and make you feel warm from the inside.

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash
1 onion; sliced
1 clove of garlic; finely chopped
1/2 a red chilli; finely chopped
1 cube of ginger; peeled and grated
800 ml of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Swiss vegetable vegan bouillon)
Some oil
Salt & pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel the butternut squash deseed it and cut it into cubes. You'll need a sharp peeler and knife for this. Season with salt and pepper and coat with some olive oil. Place on an oven sheet and roast for about 35-40 mins until soft. Set aside. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and on a medium heat cook the onions for a good 20 minutes. The longer you cook the onions the sweeter they become. Keep stirring the onions so they don't stick. After twenty minutes, add the chopped garlic and chilli and ginger. I love this bit as a lovely aroma emanates from the pan now. Then add the roasted butternut squash. Stir and add the vegetable stock. Cook with the lid on for another twenty minutes, so the stock has a chance to cook and blend with the squash.

Once cooked, blend in a food processor and serve with warm bread.