Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

Name: Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4-5
Ingredients: 3 acorn squash, cut in half; 1 head of garlic, cut in half lengthwise (not peeled); 1/2 yellow onion, trimmed and halved (not peeled); 1/2 red onion, trimmed and halved (not peeled); 1 shallot, trimmed and halved (not peeled); 2 carrots, washed and trimmed; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon dried sage; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice; 4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken); 2 tablespoons sour cream or créme fraîche; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

There’s no better addition to a chilly autumn day than a warm bowl of soup.

Marin Blair

One of my favorite year-round activities is visiting the farmers market on the weekend. Besides fall being my favorite season in general, I also love the seasonal produce that rotates in as the air gets crisper. I’m giddy seeing all the different shapes and colors of squash; arranged in a way practically begging to be taken home. This year I wanted to try acorn squash, a winter squash similar to butternut in taste but a little heartier. So on a crisp fall day, what better recipe to throw together than a smooth roasted squash soup? Filling your kitchen with those all too familiar scents of rosemary and thyme, this soup will have you cozy in less than an hour.

You can start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper. The majority of prep will be in slicing your vegetables. Set the red and yellow onions, shallot, carrots, and garlic all cut-side up. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. Once coated, flip them all over, cut side down on the baking sheet. This will ensure that they’ll steam and roast rather than burn. Repeat the cut and drizzle process with your acorn squash after removing the seeds and set cut side down on the baking sheet as well, adding thyme. Once your oven is done preheating, place the baking sheet inside the oven and roast until tender–this should take about 40 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and let cool until you can handle it.

Peel the onions, shallot, and garlic and toss out the skins. In a blender, add 2 cups of stock followed by the onion, shallot, and carrots; squeeze out the garlic and blend until it is a nice, smooth consistency.

Scoop out the flesh of the acorn squash and add to the blender as well. Remove the roasted thyme leaves and incorporate in the blender. Blend until smooth and add stock until your desired consistency is reached. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste and top with sour cream or créme fraîche and dried rosemary.

Your soup should now be ready to dish up and enjoy. If you would like it to be a bit creamier, feel free to add more of the sour cream or créme fraîche. Sometimes I like to roast the acorn squash seeds with olive oil and salt and use them as a garnish as well.