Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Winter squash varieties were on sale recently so I stocked up. I didn’t have enough sweet potatoes to make a big batch of this like I usually would, so instead I still cooked 3 butternut squash but made 1.5 into the soup and froze the rest of the cooked flesh to be used later. I find roasting them halved & scooping out the flesh is less time & energy then peeling and chopping!
I also roasted the squash seeds with some olive oil and salt – you know they’re done when they start popping! I had them as a snack but could also be a topping for your soup.
This roasted butternut squash and sweet potato recipe is the perfect dish for fall and winter. It’s got plenty of spice to warm you up, but can also be tweaked to include flavors you love!

Ingredients

1-2 sweet potatoes
1 medium butternut squash
1 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion or 2-3 shallots finely diced
4 garlic (or more!) cloves finely diced
1 inch fresh root ginger finely diced
3 red chili’s or 1 jalapeno finely diced. Or leave out if you don’t like spice!
1 lemongrass stalk cut in half lengthways
Dash or so of cayenne (Or paprika/ pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon/curry powder etc)
2-3 cups (depending on size of squash/thickness desired) bone broth or veggie stock
13.5 ounces coconut milk (1 can)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Save for later. Lightly score the flesh with a sharp knife and rub some butter or olive oil over with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place in a baking tray, skin side up along with the sweet potato. Roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes until the flesh is soft. Take out and leave to cool completely.
Heat a large pot on the stove on medium heat. Add in the olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, chili’s, lemongrass and cayenne/your spice of choosing. Cook until the onions have become translucent, you don’t want them to brown.
Once the sweet potato has completely cooled, peel off the skin and roughly chop the flesh. Scoop out the flesh of the butternut squash and add to the pot along with the sweet potato.
Pour in the chicken/veggie stock and coconut milk. Stir well, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then return to a simmer and stir occasionally until you have the desired thickness.
If you prefer a smooth soup, use an immersion blender. Remove stalk of lemongrass before blending.
Serve warm and can top with cilantro, bacon, or roasted squash seeds.