Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Peel squash and cut into 1-inch cubes.

3. In a Ziploc bag, combine squash, melted butter, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, balsamic vinegar, syrup, and sage. Shake to coat squash.

4. Pour contents of the bag onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until caramelized, and squash is fork tender.

5. When squash has 15 minutes left to roast, heat a splash of oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion, celery and carrot with a dash of cinnamon, salt and pepper, until soft. Add a splash of wine and the chicken stock. Stir to combine and simmer.

6. Remove squash from the oven and puree in a food processor until smooth. Add puree to the soup pot. Blend the squash and vegetables together with a hand (immersion) blender until smooth. Add the orange zest and milk. Stir to blend. Serve warm.

I serve this with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a few croutons for richness and crunch. This soup can be refrigerated or frozen and reheated very easily.