Beer-Cheese Soup with Roasted Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash, skin-side down, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the flesh with olive oil and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour. While it’s roasting, proceed to the next steps.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, drizzle a bit of olive oil and add onion and celery. Cook until the vegetables start to soften. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and then add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add beer and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.

In another medium pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk to combine while you cook for about a minute. Slowly add milk and cream while continuously whisking to avoid lumps. (Don’t worry too much about the consistency because you will be pureeing the soup later.)

Add 3/4 of the total amount of cheese and continue to whisk, until cheese is melted into the sauce. Season with the seasonings and a dash of salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Be sure the soup is still simmering, but not boiling. Using a ladle, add cheese sauce into the soup one ladle at a time, stirring continuously.

At this point, the squash should be fork tender. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool enough to be handled. Using s spoon, scoop the squash out of the skin and add it into the soup. Discard the skins.

Using a hand blender/wand, puree the soup in the soup pot to desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, garnish with chives and remaining cheese.