Roasted Butternut Squash Ginger Soup & Roasted Broccoli

As I'm sure I've mentioned on here before, I don't usually cook with recipes and I find that this makes it much harder to keep up with this blog. It's easier when I bake and can simply link to an outside recipe. However, I have to try because otherwise what good am I? Just know that all measurements are approximate...

A few months ago I read my middle school friend Kayli's blog about roasted broccoli (above) and just how easy it is to make. I have been hooked on adding roasted vegetables to every dinner since. The other day, on a whim, I bought a lovely pale orange butternut squash thinking that I could make it in to soup, or in a pinch I could just roast it. In the end, I decided to do both.

Tonight for dinner I made that broccoli and the soup while Brian cooked up some pre-breaded Mustard Panko chicken from Whole Foods. I looked at a bunch of recipes before I made this soup (notably this one and this one), but I can't really give credit to just one because in the end I made something that was super simple and all mine.

Roasted Butternut Squash Ginger Soup

1 butternut squash
butter or olive oil
salt & pepper
paprika
red pepper
1/2 small onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
2 c chicken broth
croutons

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Halve butternut squash and scoop out seeds and stringy area. Place in a baking dish.
Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper, and paprika.
Bake in the oven covered for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. (You can do this several hours ahead of time if you'd like.)
While the squash is cooling put a glug of olive oil or a pat of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and let brown. Scoop squash from skin and add to saucepan. Add chicken broth and more salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper to taste. Let simmer covered for approx. 15 minutes. Puree. (Immersion blenders are the easiest and least messy way to puree soups.)
Garnish with croutons (No boxed croutons please; they offend me!) and serve.

This soup has a strong ginger taste so it's not for the faint of taste buds. Curry or cinnamon might make a nice contrast to the sweet squash. I tried to bring out the smoky paprika and spicy red pepper but the soup still wasn't as punchy as I might have liked.
Try new things! Have fun! Make it yours!