Soup Arsenal

It is good to have a soup arsenal. A list of soups that you can make without consulting the recipe, soups that you are itching to make at the first hint of cold weather, and soups that consistently make you feel warm and full and satisfied. Soups that you like so much that you don't mind eating them for the next three weeks because you made such a huge pot.

This soup is going into my arsenal. I have survived almost three weeks of eating this soup, and as of this afternoon, I am still not sick of it. I fact, I kind of want it for dinner too...

I especially love roasted soups. Put a bunch of stuff onto a sheet pan, throw it in the oven for an hour, buzz it through the food processor and viola: creamy, healthy, thick, complex, soup. Its like magic.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Pear, and Shallot Soup

Adapted from Eatingwell.com

2 pounds peeled, seeded, and cubed butternut squash

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cubed

5-6 shallots, peels and quartered

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken stock

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

crumbled goat cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine pears, squash, garlic, shallots, carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper, together on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss to coat evenly with the oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to caramelize, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Working in batches, adding vegetables to food processor with enough chicken stock to aid blending. Blend until smooth and pour into large soup pot. Add any remaining stock, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls with crumbled goat cheese on top.

Get cozy, its going to be a long, cold winter :-)