- I'm gonna show you how to
make the coziest autumn soup. It's so simple and totally taste gourmet. Using this humble squash, check this out. (upbeat jazz music) (grunts) Hey everybody! It's Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com. Today, we are making
creamy butternut squash. It is velvety smooth
without any cream in it. So delicious. And is gonna become your
new favorite soup for fall. You'll see. Also, we're playing a game. Let me know if you spot Sharky, and tell me where you
see him in the comments. And if you haven't already, make sure, make sure you subscribe. And when you do, hit that little bell icon so you'll get notifications
every time we post a new recipe. And I'm totally craving the soup so let's get started. (drumming hands) Wah! Whoa! First, I'm gonna show you how to peel and cut a butternut squash. And if you've never done this before, don't be intimidated because it's easier than it looks. To start out, you'll need a potato peeler
or a vegetable peeler. Peel off the thick skin. Once you're done peeling the skin, use a knife to slice off the
bottom and top of the squash. This creates a stable base
for the squash to sit on, so you can stand it up and cut it in half. I like to start by cutting
into the side of the squash, then stand it up and
cut all the way through. Take your time and safely work your
knife through that squash because it can be pretty tough. Once you have that cut in half, use a large spoon to scoop
out the seeds and strings. I do like to scrape inside the cavity, just to make sure I've gotten
rid of all of the strings. You can keep and toast
those seeds or discard them. Once you've scooped out the seeds, it's time to chop up that squash. Start by cutting the squash
into one-inch thick strips. Again, take your time and work safely as you chop up your squash. Once you have your one-inch thick strips, turn those to the side and continue cutting into
one-inch thick pieces. They don't have to be perfect but you do want them to
be roughly one-inch thick for even roasting. Transfer those to a large
rimmed baking sheet. (drumming carrots) Next, peel and slice two medium carrots. Cut those into one-inch chunks as well. (upbeat jazz music continues) Next, you'll need one medium yellow onion. Cut off both ends and peel the onion, then cut it into eighths
or about one-inch chunks. Separate the onions into smaller segments, and transfer them to the baking sheet. You'll also need four garlic cloves. Cut off the ends, then smash them with
the side of your knife to make them easy to peel. Add those to your baking sheet along with the rest of your veggies. I love to toss the veggies
with oil and spices, directly on the baking sheet to save myself some dish cleanup. Drizzle those with extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. (upbeat jazz music continues) Now, my favorite tool
for tossing vegetables, and really, it's the best
tool we have in the kitchen, is my hands. Toss until all of your
veggies are evenly coated in seasonings and oil. Way too much fun. (laughs) Spread your veggies into a
single layer for even roasting, and transfer to a preheated
oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll wanna bake those
in the center of your oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the veggies are fork-tender and golden at the edges. Also, since we're using these
roasted vegetables for soup, and we're going to cream them anyways, we don't have to flip them halfway so it saves a step. Once your veggies are fork-tender, remove them from the oven, and it's time to blend. Transfer the roasted veggies to a blender, and we're gonna do this in batches, making sure you don't go
beyond the max fill line. I like to start with adding
half of the roasted veggies and half of the chicken broth. Also, this is a blender that we have used and loved for years, and I will leave a link
to it in the notes. Cover the mixture with the lid and blend until it's
completely smooth and creamy. I think this soup is best
when it's silky smooth. Also, if your mixture gets too thick or has difficulty blending, just add a little more chicken broth. Once that's perfectly smooth, transfer your purée to a
dutch oven or a soup pot. (upbeat jazz music continues) Now, repeat that process, adding the rest of your veggies and chicken broth to the blender, and blend until creamy smooth. If it's still getting too thick and you need more liquid, feel free to add that
extra half a cup of water that we'll add to the soup later. Once everything's blended, transfer it into the pot, making sure to get every drop. Now, set the pot over medium heat. (upbeat jazz music continues) I like to add half a cup of filtered water just to thin it out a little bit. Also, season with cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir that together to combine, then bring it to a light boil. Stir occasionally, and you'll wanna keep it partially covered while it's coming to a uniform boil. Otherwise, a creamy soup
tends to squirt and spur, and it can kind of make
a mess of your stove. Once you see it's come to a uniform boil, we're gonna add some
butter and maple syrup. Continue stirring until the
butter is melted into the soup. The butter adds a luxurious
creaminess to the soup, and you don't need to add any
kind of heavy cream or milk. Now, last but not least, season to taste with salt
and pepper if needed, and take it off the heat. Your creamy roasted butternut
squash is ready to serve. (upbeat jazz music continues) Ah! (laughs) I'm excited because I'm so hungry and totally craving this soup. Here we go. Here's the moment we've
all been waiting for. Dun, dun, dun! (sighs) And this soup really is
just silky, silky smooth. Check this out. And without any cream in it. So it's actually a pretty
healthy creamy soup. Look at that, look at that. Silky, silky and so satisfying. It tastes fancy. And wait till you see the toppings because the toppings
take this over the top. All right, let's load this
up 'cause I am hungry. I think I picked too
small a ladle. (laughs) I'm way too impatient
for this ladle. (laughs) I did pick the cute one. It's probably more like a
gravy ladle than a soup ladle. So if you're serving company, do not use this size of ladle. (laughs) Unless everyone's on a diet. Now topping this off, you have so many options here. One of the popular ways to do this is, well, in every situation, you wanna add a little
bit of maple syrup drizzle over the top because just that little bit of sweetness, oh, it's just such a good combination. Remember, we put maple syrup into the soup to sweeten it up slightly. It's beautiful and really good, so make sure you don't skip that. And then you can either use
pepitas which are pumpkin seeds. And I've toasted these just
real quick on a dry skillet for a few minutes, tossing them frequently until they're golden and fragrant. Or my personal favorite, to top it with some bacon. We've got some browned,
crispy bacon bits here. I sautéed these on a skillet, stirring frequently just
until they're browned and crispy and golden, then transferred them to
a paper towel-lined plate, and you've got your topping. So I'm gonna do bacon
because I cannot resist. I've been munching on this
since I made it. (laughs) Like half of it's gone. (laughs) All right, here we go. Just sprinkle, sprinkle that on. Be generous. It's good to have a lot of bacon. Okay, and then also add
a little bit of parsley 'cause that little pop of
color is beautiful over soup. And tasty too. Okay. And last but not least, a little crack of freshly
ground black pepper. So pretty, oh my gosh. Ah! (laughs) I cannot wait. I love that this is staring back at me. All right, I'm just gonna
dig into this because mm! All right. Ah, okay, sorry. I'm too excited. (upbeat jazz music continues) It's probably hot. (upbeat jazz music continues) (sighs) Truly tastes like a gourmet soup. Like something you would
order in a nice restaurant but you just made it in your own kitchen. And please, please, please
do not skip the topping. There's just something so irresistible about that combination of sweet and salty, with the bacon and the maple syrup. Ooh, it'll make your day. (laughs) It's really simple. So delicious. I really think this is gonna
become a new favorite for you. And if you've never cooked
with a butternut squash, I think you'll be impressed. One of my absolute favorite
creamy soups for fall. Total comfort food. And that's a wrap. Let me know where you guys
spotted Sharky in the video, and we'll see you in the next video! (upbeat jazz music continues) Mm, tasty. I love butternut squash. (laughs)
