Butternut Squash Soup

Soup is a nice cozy way to get some of your veggies in for the day and warm up from that freezing cold weather outside. This recipe is quick and simple with just a few ingredients and it lasts for about a week in the refrigerator (it also freezes really well).  You can use any sort of broth you like.  I used chicken broth but by using vegetable stock you can easily make this a vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons milk

Method

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Celcius.
2. Cut the squash into large chunks and arrange them in a baking tray with the cut-side up. Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with the chilli flakes and cumin seeds, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven for around 40-50 minutes until the squash is nice and tender. Remove from the oven and let it cool before peeling off the skin.
4. Heat the butter in a deep pot on a medium heat, then add thegarlic and onions and sweat until translucent.
5. Add the stock and simmer gently before adding in the chunks of peeled and cooked squash.
6. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then blend with a hand blender until smooth.
7. Return the soup to the pan (if it’s too thick add a couple of tbsp milk).