Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

As the last of the leaves fall, and the temperature starts to drop, the thought of a big warm bowl of soup becomes increasingly appealing. To be totally honest, I ended up making this soup because I accidently bought a 5lbs bag of carrots instead of a 1 lbs bag, and frankly just had a lot of carrots! That said, this soup is hearty but light, delicious, and has lots of ginger which is always great for digestion and if anyone has an upset stomach. I’ve

Ingredients

Carrots, sliced in large pieces

1 lbs butternut squash, large cubed

Olive oil

2 sprigs thyme

Salt

Pepper

1 onion, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp ginger

¼ tsp cinnamon

Directions

I start by roasting unpeeled but scrubbed carrots, chopped into big slices with peeled, large diced butternut squash (truthfully, also just something I had in the fridge); I toss everything together in a large bowl with salt, pepper, two big sprigs of fresh thyme and olive oil. I then roast the carrots and squash on a parchment lined baking sheet in a preheated, 425F oven for 25 minutes and remove to cool.

Meanwhile, I dice a medium yellow onion, 2 stalks of celery and sauté them over medium heat for 10 minutes, just until soft with some olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. When the squash and carrots are cooled, I remove the thyme stems and add them to the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes until soft. I add a quart of homemade chicken stock (I really do prefer homemade, I always keep some in the freezer), ginger, and bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Then, using an immersion blender or a a regular blender, off the heat I carefully puree the soup until smooth. I add coconut milk and a little cinnamon for that je ne sais quoi, check the seasonings, and serve hot with warm crusty bread. Bon appetit!