- Hey guys, I'm back. If you've been following
along on Instagram stories, you know that I just got home from the most epic, soul fulfilling, and adventurous three weeks traveling through Israel and Jordan. Not only were the sites spectacular, but the food was amazing,
and you better believe that there will be some new recipes coming to this channel
soon, inspired by my trip. For things like baba ganoush,
falafels, and shakshuka. I'm also gonna try to put
together a little video montage of my trip, because I
actually shot quite a bit of video on my iPhone. So you'll have to stay tuned for that. But today, since we're
smack-dab in the middle of fall, and Thanksgiving is next week, I wanted to share with you one
of my favorite fall recipes, and that's butternut squash soup. Many people make butternut
squash soup on the stove top, but my favorite method is to roast the butternut squash first. You know I love roasted veggies, and roasting the butternut squash not only gives it a
delicious depth of flavor, but it also saves you from having to peel and dice the butternut squash,
which is always a bonus. So let me show you how to make it. To start, pre-heat your oven
to 425 degrees fahrenheit and then grab your butternut squash. You want a butternut squash that's between 3 1/2 to four pounds, which is about this size. Now butternut squash, like
other winter squash or pumpkins can be notoriously
difficult to slice through. So make sure that your knife is sharpened and then carefully slice
the ends off the squash. (lively music) Once you've got a flat
surface on both ends, you can stand it upright and
slice it down the middle. I find that a slow rocking motion is best when cutting through the squash, and ideally, you'd like
to cut it more equally in half than what I did today. I didn't do a very good job, but not to worry as it
will still cook just fine. Use a spoon to scrape out
the seeds and membrane, and I highly recommend saving the seeds to make roasted pumpkin seeds afterwards. Roasted pumpkin seeds
are a great healthy snack this time of year, and they're perfect for parties and gatherings as well. Drizzle the butternut squash
with a little avocado oil and use your fingers to
make sure it's fully coated. Then sprinkle it with salt and pepper, flip it over on the tray so
that the cut side is down, place it in the oven and set
your timer for 30 minutes. (lively music) While the squash is cooking,
you can cut a small onion in half and coat it with
a little avocado oil. After your 30 minute timer goes off, add the onion to your
baking sheet, cut side down, and set the timer for another 30 minutes. When the squash comes out
of the oven, it'll be hot. So carefully flip it over and
then let it cool just enough so that you can handle it. Your squash should have a
beautiful caramelization on it, which adds a lovely natural
sweetness to your soup. (lively music) Use a large spoon to scoop
out the flesh of the squash and place it in your Vitamix
or other high-powered blender. It should be buttery soft
and really easy to scoop out. Then remove the outside skin of the onion and toss it into your blender as well, add a couple cloves of garlic, a half a tablespoon of maple syrup, one teaspoon of sea salt, a
quarter teaspoon of nutmeg, and a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger. To that, we'll add three to
four cups of vegetable broth. I always start with about three cups and then check the consistency after blending to see
if I need to add more. I also add two tablespoons of butter, which makes the soup extra creamy, but you could leave this off
if you're vegan or dairy free. Add the lid to your blender
and blend for several minutes, until it's hot and creamy. If you have a soup
setting on your blender, like I do on my Vitamix,
it makes things super easy. After checking the
consistency of the soup, I've decided to add the
remainder of the broth. Because while I do like it thick, I also want that soupy consistency. (lively music) For garnish, roughly chop a
few tablespoons of parsley and grab some pepitas
which are pumpkin seeds. (lively music) Pour the butternut squash
soup into a serving bowl, top with a handful of papitas,
a sprinkle of parsley, and some cracked black pepper. (lively music) And there you have it,
roasted butternut squash soup. I hope you guys enjoyed today's video, and if you did, make sure
to give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button below, so you don't miss my next video. (lively music)
