This Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, & Red Bell Pepper Soup is the perfect menu item for all of your upcoming fall meals.
FALL. IS. HERE!!! Temps were definitely on the cooler side this weekend, and it had me all kinds of excited for fall recipes. On Sunday, I was planning and prepping meals for work this week (as per usual), and was really excited to throw together a lunch salad with arugula, quinoa, goat cheese, butternut squash, brussels sprouts and shredded crockpot chicken. SO good, right?!
I started by prepping the butternut squash. I threw it in the oven to roast for 30ish minutes, but when I opened the oven door I was (not so) surprised to find that the squash had become very tender, almost to the point of dare I say, mush? Butternut squash does this to me liiiiterally every single time I roast it – it almost steams – and I don’t know why, but yet I go back to it again and again.
This was a do or die moment. Do I keep the squash and still try to salvage it for my salads? Do I dump it? Do I make a mud mask out of it? Do I puree it for mashed butternut squash?
WAIT. LIGHT BULB. So, I had also been planning on making a pureed cauliflower and red bell pepper soup as a part of my dinners for the week. The squash was already pretty…mushy, and the squash would pair well with the other two flavors… That was it! Just nix it from the lunch salad and add it into the soup instead. Honestly, this was probably one of my biggest kitchen fail-turned-successes to date. Cue the confetti, it was almost like I had won Chopped.
So without further adieu, I present to you the recipe for this comforting, veggie-packed Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower & Red Bell Pepper Soup.
- 7 cups cubed butternut squash (roughly 2 bags from Trader Joe’s)
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil, divided (can also use coconut oil)
- 4 red bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock
- Dried dillweed, ½ teaspoon or to taste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 350*F and line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Wash all produce.
- Toss butternut squash and cauliflower in 2 T oil, dried dillweed, and salt and pepper. Transfer and spread out on baking sheets. Roast in oven for 30-35 minutes, turning once.
- While squash and cauliflower cooks, roughly chop bell peppers and onion. Heat 1 T oil in medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in onions and bell peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until softened. Add in minced garlic and cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until fragrant.
- Once squash and cauliflower are cooked, transfer to stockpot with onions and peppers. Add in chicken/vegetable stock, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Raise heat and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 15-25 minutes, transfer batches into food processor and puree until desired consistency. I did mine in a few batches, but if you have a large food processor, it may only take one or two batches.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Store in fridge for up to one week, or freeze to have really delicious soup on hand for those nights that you don’t want to cook!
- Note: Top with pepita seeds, an extra grind of black pepper, and/or goat cheese.