Roast Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• Black Pepper
• 2 Carrots chopped
• 1 stick Celery chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 0.5 tsp Ground Turmeric
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion Chopped
• 1 Red Chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• Salt
• 2 SuperValu Butternut Squash cut into quarters lengthways and deseeded
• 1 tbsp SuperValu Fresh Sage chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 sprigs SuperValu Fresh Thyme leaves stripped, plus extra to garnish
• 1.5 litre Vegetable Stock

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place the squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, until the squash is tender and a little caramelised at the edges.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large pot set over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the carrots, celery, garlic, chilli, herbs and spices and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Scoop the roasted squash out of its skin and add to the vegetables in the pot. Add three-quarters of the stock and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Blend the soup with a hand-held blender, then add the rest of the stock to thin it out if the soup is too thick. To serve, ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with a little freshly cracked black pepper, fresh thyme and small sage leaves.