Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Quinoa

Preheat oven to 400 F. Carefully cut squash into quarters. In order to cut it, it helps to microwave it for a minute first. Once you heat it a bit, cut it in half so you have the neck and the bulbous bottom. And then slice each half in half. Place quarters, cut side up, onto a roasting pan. Peel, then slice the onion into wedges and put them into the pan. Add two whole garlic cloves (with a layer of peel still on) and add them to the roasting pan. Season everything with salt and pepper, then spray with cooking spray or drizzle a bit of oil over the top. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes. The squash will not be completely done after 30 minutes.

While that’s roasting, prepare the quinoa according to package instructions.

When 30 minutes has passed, remove squash, onion and garlic from oven and let them cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove squash and garlic from skins and give them and the onions a rough chop.

Heat more oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat and add the roasted veggies. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all sides get some heat. Then add enough broth or water to cover the roasted veggies by about half an inch. For me, I’d guess this was 3-4 cups. Turn heat down to medium low, and keep at a simmer for 15 minutes. If you have one, add in a Parmesan rind while it’s simmering.

When the squash is fork tender, discard Parmesan rind and transfer soup to a food processor in several batches. Blend each batch to your desired consistency. I like mine with a little bit of texture. Once finished with each batch, return it to the pot and add the cooked quinoa. Add chopped sage and (if you didn’t have a Parmesan rind) some grated Parmesan. Simmer until ready to serve!

Keeps in refrigerator for a week.