This is Mrs. Butternut, she is the cousin twice removed of Mr. Potato head.

I gave her a minute to put her face on.  She doesn’t like to be seen out in public looking so disheveled.  I am sure most ladies can relate.

Fabulous!  Love the tiara and that shade of lipstick!

She gets her time in the spotlight when Fall comes around and this post is all about her.

Yesterday I woke up to a wonderful 68 degrees and sunshine.  A cold front had moved through that left a delightful crisp in the air.  It was 8am but I had a hankering for butternut squash soup.

I know I have said this a million times but I love the Fall over every other season.  I had to celebrate with a warm bowl of roasted butternut squash and sage soup.  I love to make this soup in large batches and freeze it to enjoy through the Fall and into the Winter.  It’s also perfect for a quick warm meal for little ones right after a long day at school or before heading out to trick-or-treat.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the butternut in half and remove the seeds.

Spray a rimmed sheet pan with non-stick spray. Cut the top off the garlic bulb, just exposing the cloves. Lay butternut squash and garlic clove on pan, skin side down, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt.

I like to turn the butternut while roasting so it browns on all sides.  The flesh of the butternut caramelizes and pumps up the sweetness of the butternut.  Keep in mind the garlic bulb will be ready to pull before the butternut.

Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turn flesh side down roast 10 minutes, remove garlic, turn a third time flesh side down and roast a final 10 minutes.  You will end up with a beautifully & evenly roasted butternut.

To remove the cloves from the bulb just give it gentle squeeze and work the cloves out of the bulb.

One of the bonuses of roasting the butternut is that you can skip the peeling part because the skin of the butternut will easily peel off and the flesh will be super tender.

Heat 2 Tbs of olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add carrot and cook until they are just beginning to brown.

Add celery and onions to the pot, saute until soft and translucent. Add wine and reduce by half.   You may want to step back or risk a face steam.

Add sage and ginger stir and cook until fragrant.   Seriously the smell of sage your reach out with a 2 x 4 and smack you in the face.

Add roasted butternut, garlic cloves, honey, water, stock and cream stir until well combined.

Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can puree in batches using a standard blender.  I would however encourage the purchase of an immersion blender.  Trust me once you get one you will love it, especially this time of year when creamy soups are craved by all.

 If it’s too thick you can add more water until you reach your desired consistency. Season with salt to taste.

Serve soup hot and garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche, parsley and a drizzle of walnut oil.

You can easily adapted this to be pumpkin, acorn squash or sweet potato soup.  Mmmmmm! If you’re not a fan of sage or can find it you can swap it out with rosemary.

This recipe makes enough to feed a large family or to feed a couple for a week.   Butternut squash soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No one is judging.

I love this soup because it hugs you from the inside out. Roasting the butternut it what gives the flavor depth and a bit of ginger brightens it up.  This soup is my best friend through the cool seasons.