Spiced Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup is comforting and delicious. It has a hint of spice to warm you up, topped with a touch of creme fraiche for a tangy and creamy finish. Truly the perfect comfort meal for a chilly October evening. Or in our case for a chilly Halloween.
Happy Halloween to all!
Make this comforting spiced soup anytime this fall, but I was particularly fond of this for Halloween this year because it was a cold and rainy evening. It was a fall night just screaming for a bowl of warm soup.
We really got into the Halloween spirit this year; we went pumpkin picking, drank cider, decorated and carved our pumpkins. Seriously, is there a better month than October?
Even Monte got to join in on the festivities, she did a really good job picking some perfect pumpkins.
She was pretty excited about the whole outing, but not as excited as I am about how delicious this soup is.
Spiced Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds {1 large} Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and medium diced
- 3 whole Carrots, peeled and medium diced
- Olive Oil, for drizzling
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 whole Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- Cayenne Pepper, a pinch {Use more for extra heat but a pinch is plenty}
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 4 cups Vegetable Stock
- Creme Fraiche, for garnish
- Heavy Cream, for thinning out creme fraiche
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2 With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the squash. Cut ends off the squash and cut the squash in half, and cut the base lengthwise to expose the seeds. Scoop out and discard seeds. Chop into medium dice and place the squash on a baking sheet with chopped carrots.
- Step 3 Drizzle with the olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Step 4 Begin the base for the soup once squash and carrots are tender. In a large heavy bottomed pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until tender and slightly browned. Add minced garlic, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Stir together until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Step 5 Add reserved squash and carrots to the mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable stock while stirring. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 6 Using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Carefully blend soup until smooth. If using a blender or food processor do this in batches. Return to the pot and season with kosher salt to taste preference.
- Step 7 Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche. Make the spider web in your bowl>> Put the creme fraiche in a squeeze bottle and thin it out with a little heavy cream until it’s easily pourable. Start by making a spiral working from the outside of the bowl working in to the center. Use a toothpick or skewer to make the web-like design, drag lines from the center to the outside. Enjoy!
Medium dice is the perfect size for roasting. Try to make everything about the same size for even cooking but don’t go crazy. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
While everything is roasting away you can start on the base of the soup. Multi-tasking is easy when stuff is cooking in the oven.
I love using my immersion blender for soups like this. It’s a great investment if you don’t own one. When using an immersion blender, make sure the blades are completely submerged before turning it on. Blend at a slight angle, but keep submerged so the soup won’t spray all over your kitchen.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, I suggest investing in one, but in the meantime a stand blender works great. Work in batches so you don’t overfill your blender.
Use a towel to cover the lid of your blender when blending hot liquid.
Make the spider web in your bowl>> Put the creme fraiche in a squeeze bottle and thin it out with a little heavy cream until it’s easily pourable. Start by making a spiral working from the outside of the bowl working in to the center. Use a toothpick or skewer to make the web-like design, drag lines from the center to the outside.
Savor and Enjoy!
