Rosemary Apple Butternut Squash Soup

This morning at the studio, I decided to do a pantry clean out and make some culinary concoction for the crew. I love making something from scratch that I would never usually think of doing and then poof! A new recipe has been created and I keep my fingers crossed that they all like it. Trust me, there have been some blunders, but for the most part, success.

I found an assortment of apples and one over-sized jumbo butternut squash that had previously been on set for a holiday cooking demo. Seeing that it was cold, raining, and miserable outside, I thought of what everyone else decides to do with leftover vegetables. Make soup. But let’s not stop at any old butternut squash soup recipe, why not toss in apples, potatoes, rosemary and whatever else I can get my paws on in the kitchen.

I took my time building the foundation of this soup which is why I am putting this into a post, because it came out beautiful and loaded with layers of flavor. I believe that is the secret to any good recipe whether you created it or not, is to show it lots of love and time to build those layers and have an amazing bite of food in return.

Rosemary Apple Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 apples, peeled and diced (I used macintosh)
• 3 red bliss potatoes, diced
• 1/2 tsp red chili flake
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon chicken base (can be omitted if using veggie stock)
• 1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 400*. Spread cubed butternut squash on a sheet tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss and roast for 25 minutes or until tender. In a large dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the diced onion. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, then add in garlic, and salt and cook for 1 more minute. Add in carrots, apples, potatoes, chili flake,rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1o minutes on low heat and stir. Add in stock and base, then toss in cooked butternut squash. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and taste for seasonings. Using a food processor, carefully puree the soup in batches then return to the same pot. You can eat this soup now or for a richer consistency, add in a little butter and heavy cream. Happy eating!