Roasted squash and chestnut soup

Soups & stews

Roasted squash and chestnut soup

Name: Roasted squash and chestnut soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4

Starter Serves 4 1h 30 min

A warming, rich soup, made with easy-to-use cooked and peeled chestnuts. This is an easy way to prepare and cook squash. For fuel economy you could cook it along with your Sunday roast and make the soup to freeze. Add a few cooked bacon pieces or a swirl of crrème fraîche with some extra fried sage leaves to serve if you like. As an alternative to making soup with the roasted squash, lightly mash the scooped out flesh and chestnuts together after roasting and serve with sausages and green veg for an easy supper.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (about 800g -1kg), halved lengthways, skin left on
200g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
1 leek or onion, chopped
6 sage leaves, roughly chopped
1 litre veg stock
salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 15 min

Cooking time: 1h 15 min

Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
Step 2
Place the squash, cut side up, in a baking tray, and cut a few slits in the fat part of the squash flesh to help it cook a little quicker.
Step 3
Sprinkle over the chestnuts, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Step 4
Cover tightly with foil and roast at for 40 minutes-1 hour, or until the squash flesh is tender. Leave to cool slightly.
Step 5
While the squash is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan and gently cook the leeks for 10 minutes, until softened, adding the sage about halfway through.
Step 6
Scoop out the squash flesh (discarding the skin) and add it to the leeks, along with all the chestnuts and any juices from the baking tray.
Step 7
Add the stock, bring to the boil, then blitz until smooth. Check the seasoning to serve.