I feel like pureed soups really wow and delight. It’s not caviar or bone marrow, nothing over the top. But the elegance of a creamy soup will always win the cook extra bonus points, at least from me.
Listen, soup is not the sexiest food. Soup isn’t walking the red carpet, it’s behind the camera, its comfortable, it’s the “cool girl” - down for whatever, shockingly laid back. But as far as soups go, this is going to bring on the class and sophistication while still being mega chill and totally drinkable. Most importantly, the amount of work it takes to make it is far less than the amount it will impress, and I am here for that kind of recipe… always.
Roasting the vegetables is an extra step but it packs in so much extra depth. If you’re in a pinch and need a quick soup, skip the roasting and throw the chopped up squash and cauliflower right into the stock to simmer.
Butternut isn’t the required squash choice for this soup - you could also try Red Kuri or Kabocha, or a combination of them all. Also, we’re super jazzed about the idea of using our squash stock recipe for the liquid in this recipe. It will leave you with a surprisingly vegan, very minimal waste pot of soup with a deep squash vibes.
Roasted Squash & Cauliflower Soup
Yield: 6 meal-sized portions
Preheat oven ot 425 F
Toss cauliflower and squash in the olive oil, season with salt, and spread out on a sheet pan. Roast for 40 min - 1 hour or until the vegetables have browned and are mostly cooked.
Once cooled, chop the cauliflower and set aside. Scoop the flesh out of the squash, leaving the skins and seeds and ends to make squash stock.
Add the squash chunks and cauliflower to a large pot with the onions, garlic, and ginger. Cover with a quart of stock to start and simmer over medium-low heat.
Once everything is softened (about 30 minutes), blend either in small batches in a blender or with an immersion blender.
Return to the pot, season with coriander, cumin and salt (to taste). Add additional stock as needed. Simmer for an additional 10 or so minutes.
1 medium cauliflower, cut into thirds, leaves removed
3 small or 2 large butternut squash (you can use other squash too), cut in half or quarters
2 tbl olive oil
1/2 large white or yellow onion, sliced
2 large cloves garlic
2 inch chunk ginger, peeled and sliced (optional)
1-1 1/2 its stock (vegetable or chicken stock is fine, though squash stock will work best)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt
TO SERVE
Top with whatever is around. I like sesame seeds, chili oil, green sauce, olive oil, thinned out yoghurt, black pepper, toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, or fresh herbs - think cilantro, parsley, or fennel fronds.