Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup by Tess Masters
Thanks to: Tess Masters
“What I love about this butternut squash soup is that it’s so simple. The ginger and cilantro root flavors are very mild, allowing the natural sweetness of the butternut squash to be the star attraction. This is where the Aussie in me sings! In Australia, Fall (or “Autumn” as we call it) and Winter is “Sunday roast season” where we roast potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, butternut squash (or as we refer to in in Australia as “butternut pumpkin”) parsnips, turnips, onions, garlic, zucchini and any other seasonal produce we can lay our hands on. Give it a try!”
-Tess Masters, The Blender Girl
(Serves: 8)
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 8 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about 2 medium)
- 2 cups peeled and cubed carrot (about 2 medium)
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- 8 cups vegetable broth1/2 cup cilantro root or stems
- 1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.
- Cut off the top of the head of garlic, brush with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of the salt. Wrap in parchment paper, then foil (to allow the garlic to steam and not burn, and to reduce aluminium transfer). Place on one of the baking sheets.
- Toss the butternut squash, carrot, and onion in the remaining olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and spread out on the prepared baking sheets.
- Roast for about 1 hour, until the vegetables are cooked but not burnt. You don’t want any black bits. (You’re going to put them into the pot to boil and cook further.)
- Once the garlic and vegetables have roasted, allow them to cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the peels. This should yield about 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic.
- While the vegetables are cooking, steep the cilantro root in the broth in a large saucepan.
- Transfer the roasted garlic and vegetables to the saucepan with the broth, and add the coconut milk, minced ginger, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse. Remove the soup from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly.
- Pour the soup into your blender in batches and puree on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. (For conventional blenders, remove the small center lid cap and cover the opening with a kitchen towel so steam can escape while you blend.) Return the soup to the saucepan, season to taste, and warm it over low heat. Add maple syrup to taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro leaves.