Rosemary Butternut Soup with Goat Cheese

It always floors me when something simple like this turns out to taste soooo good. I made this soup with some leftover rosemary roasted squash we made when in the process of creating the Butternut Bacon Macaroni & Cheese. I was so pleased at how wonderful this soup turned out: it has a soft, silky texture, sweetness from the butternut squash balanced out by the earthy rosemary and tangy, melty goat cheese … with just a bit of a bite from the jalapeno and a hint of curry underneath. It’s just delightful. My only regret was that I didn’t make more of it.

I have a bit of a confession to make. I am not a big fan of squash. I don’t even like sweet potatoes. I admit, winter squash is great when added to baked goods or pie. I can eat a bit of squash when it is presented with a brown, sugary crust or toasted marshmallows, but that very very quickly gets old for me: a couple bites are quite enough. To eat a whole serving of squash or even squash soup, that’s usually hard for me to do. But I’ve noticed that when foods that are overpowering for me in some way (like, um, squash), if I temper it with something that helps balance it out, I find that I actually LIKE it. And sometimes, even, love it. Like this soup.

I try to keep an open mind and challenge all of my “I don’t like that food” paradigms and the interesting thing is I that MOST of them are just misconceptions. If I prepare something I think I don’t like in a different way, I find myself actually falling in love with things I thought I didn’t like. This happened proved to be true for me with eggplant, pears, apples, and yes, squash. I have found ways to love foods I never thought I could even tolerate.

By the way, that is our cat Jupiter (a.k.a., Jupie) in the background of the top picture. He was so happy when I joined him on the patio to photograph my soup.

Rosemary Butternut Soup with Goat Cheese

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups of cubed, peeled butternut squash
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped fine
• 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 of a yellow onion
• 1 jalapeno (a red one, preferably, more or less to taste)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• Salt & pepper
• 3 Tablespoons of goat cheese crumbles

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cube the squash and toss it in a bowl with the olive oil and rosemary. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then add the squash chunks and sprinkle lightly with salt & fresh ground pepper. Move the squash over a bit and set the onion (whole) and jalapeno on the side. Roast the squash for about 30 minutes or until the squash is soft. Check the jalapeno and onion a few times throughout, turning the jalapeno to get all sides evenly roasted and removing them once they are browned. Allow the vegies to cool a bit. Pull the peel and stem off the jalapeno.
2. Put the roasted vegies with just part of the jalapeno in a blender along with the broth and about 2 Tablespoons of goat cheese and puree till smooth. Taste and add more jalapeno as desired, blending till the pepper and everything is nice and smooth.
3. Pour the soup into a saucepan and heat over medium heat till hot. Add salt & pepper to taste.
4. Pour into bowls and garnish with goat cheese crumbles and fresh sprigs of rosemary.

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Notes

Roast the onion and jalapeno on the grill to give the soup a smoky taste.

I recommend you cut up the entire butternut squash, toss it with a tablespoon or two of oil and some finely chopped fresh rosemary, spread it onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with a bit of salt, fresh ground pepper and sprinkle with goat cheese. Enjoy the squash with dinner, then make the leftovers into soup for another day.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Gluten Free Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Halloween Party, Scrumptious Sunday, Inspiration Monday and Totally Tasty Tuesday.