It’s looking promising for spring around these parts recently (jinx! I need to knock on some wood, STAT), but the weather is still occasionally nippy enough in my region of Canada that a lunch time bowl of soup is still very inviting and comforting.

This is one of my very favourite soups, in that it’s surprisingly quick and easy to make, as the oven does half of the work for you. It’s also economical which thrills my frugal heart (the entire pot cost me about $6.00CAD, and would have been even cheaper had I bought everything in season), but even so it doesn’t lack for flavour. This soup is so creamy and silky and has a rich mouthfeel; it’s what my English ancestors would call “more-ish“. Oh, and it’s incidentally vegan, gluten-, sugar- and dairy-free; roasting brings out a host of rich flavours from the squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes and so negates the need for cream or butter, a sweetener, or a meat-derived umami base. Do not skip this step! If you find that you’re running low on time, however, this recipe is also an excellent candidate for step-cooking, which is what I call a recipe I want to do in separate steps with time in between them, i.e. you can roast the vegetables in advance and chill them for up to three days before you use them.

The real star of the show here is butternut squash, but there is a supporting cast of veggies that shouldn’t be left out as they add their own flavours into the mix; I didn’t want to just call it “roasted butternut squash soup”, because the other veggies would feel sad and rejected…oh dear, send help. 😉

Roasted Vegetable Soup

YIELD: 6 servings | PREP: 10 mins | ROAST: 30 mins | COOK: 15 mins

ProTip: make sure your diced vegetables are all approximately cut to the same size, so they will roast evenly

• 1 large (about 5-6 cups) butternut squash, skin removed and cubed small (or 2 pkgs frozen diced butternut squash)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced small
• ½ medium white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp/30mL olive oil
• 1 big pinch each kosher salt & black pepper
• 2 tsp/3g dried thyme
• 6 cups/1.4L vegetable broth (try for low-sodium)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick pan spray (optional).
2. Add diced squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery to the baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle dried thyme overtop and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bake for 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and starting to brown along the edges.
3. Meanwhile, add vegetable broth to a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat. when vegetables are roasted, add directly to the broth, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
4. Remove simmering soup from the heat and use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer mixture to a high-speed blender) and blend until creamy and smooth. Really work hard on getting this soup as lump-free as possible, as this will help loads with the velvety-smoothness of the final product.
5. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve hot.

Store the leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or well-wrapped in the freezer up to 3 months; being dairy-free, this soup has the benefit of not going all weird and “curdle-y” when you reheat it, like some dairy-based soups can do.