Carrot & Squash Soup

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time1 hr 55 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 434kcal

Author: Jennifer Oliver

3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
2 medium parsnips peeled and chopped
1 2-pound red kuri squash (or other favorite squash such as pumpkin or buttercup), seeded and sliced into 1-inch thick slices
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for roasting vegetables
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons butter
12 fresh sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
On a baking sheet, arrange the carrots and parsnips.
On another baking sheet, arrange slices of squash.
Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
Roast for about an hour or until they are soft and tender.
When the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven and peel the skin off of the squash.
Add all of the vegetables to the pot with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
Then reduce heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Strain the soup ingredients from the broth, reserving all of the broth.
Pulse the cooked vegetables in a food processor or with an immersion blender, gradually adding in the broth until forming a smooth purée of desired consistency. If it is not thin enough for you after adding in all of the vegetable broth, you can add in water a little at a time and purée again until the desired texture is achieved.
Then add salt and pepper to taste.
To make the sage chips, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter in a skillet on medium-high heat.
Once hot, add in sage leaves.
Let the leaves fry for about 5 minutes before lifting them out of the pan with a slotted spatula and setting on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. They should be stiff when you take them out of the pan.
Immediately sprinkle sea salt on the chips – if you wait too long the salt won’t stick.
To serve, spoon a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream onto each bowl of soup.
Garnish with crumbled bacon (if using), sage chips, and thyme.