Recipe: Harvest Soup

This soup just screams Fall, it is hearty, satisfying, super easy to make and is surprisingly vegan! It has a richness from the sweet potatoes and squash, a nice spice from the ginger and a holiday essence from the nutmeg. I developed this recipe after trying a similar soup at a little café in my neighborhood. If you like Butternut Squash soup…you will love this!

Ingredients:
1 Butternut Squash (cut into 2 inch pieces)
2 Sweet potatoes or Yams (peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces)
6 Carrots, about 1 Cup (peeled and sliced into ½ inch thick rounds)
¼ Cup Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
¾ Cup Celery (cut into pieces)
1 TBS Fresh Ginger (finely chopped)
3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
1 ½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1 TBS. Salt (I prefer Sea Salt)
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
2 TBS. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Cups Water
(Optional) ½ Cup Ground Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees

In a large stockpot (with a lid) heat 1 TBS. Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium heat, add Onion and cook for 1-2 min until softened. Next add the Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Celery, let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the Ginger, cook for 1 minute. Then add 1 tsp. Nutmeg, salt, pepper, give it a stir, before adding the Water and Thyme. Let mixture come to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 hour, until all vegetables are soft.

Place chopped Butternut Squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 TBS. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, ½ tsp. Nutmeg, and a dash of salt and pepper to evenly coat each piece. Place in oven and roast for 35 minutes (then remove and let cool).

Turn off heat on the stockpot and let the vegetables cool down for about 20 minutes on the stove. *Optional, add grated Parmesan Cheese to the pot at this time.

Add the roasted Butternut Squash to the cooled vegetables in the stock pot, then with either an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the soup to a puree. If doing it in a regular blender, do it in batches. Then serve!

Optional garnishes include:

Cilantro leaves or Sprig of Thyme, with dash of truffle oil
-or-
crème fraîhe with a few toasted pumpkin seeds
-or-
crème fraîhe and cinnamon

Yield: 10-12, 1 Cup Servings