Recipe: Roasted Organic Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Almonds and Nutmeg Cream | By Roy Benningfield

Enjoy this delicious fall recipe from Roy Benningfield of SALT: Roasted Organic Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Almonds and Nutmeg Cream.

Ingredients:

2 lbs organic local butternut squash, washed and cut in half

1 lb organic yellow onions, peeled and cut into large dice

1 lb organic carrots, dice into medium pieces

4 oz olive oil

2 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

4 oz almonds

8 oz heavy cream

Sugar to taste (approx. 1/4 cup)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place squash, cut side down, on a baking tray lined with oiled parchment paper for easy cleanup. Roast until tender in the “neck.” Lower oven temp to 250 degrees to toast the almonds.
3. Meanwhile, sweat the onions and carrots starting on high heat, then lower the flame to sweat until softened and not colored. Add 3 quarts of water and simmer.
4. Remove squash from the oven, scoop out the seeds while holding squash with heavy kitchen towel. Scoop out the roasted squash and add to the onion and carrot mixture. Add the cinnamon and half the nutmeg. Simmer 20-30 minutes to let flavors come together.
5. Place almonds on a sheet tray and toast in the oven, turn down 250 degrees for approximately eight minutes, checking every two minutes make sure they don’t burn.
6. Let soup cool, then place in blender. Carefully place the top on the blender with a towel. Fill the blender only two thirds full and pulse to start so it doesn’t become explosive and burn you. Continue blending until all the soup is smooth. Finish soup with 3/4 of the cream, salt and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. (The trick to this soup is to create a balance between the salt, sugar and spices — the sweetness of the butternut squash, nutmeg and cinnamon.)
7. Place the remaining cream and 1 tsp of nutmeg in the saucepan with a pinch of sugar, bring to a boil.
8. Place the soup in a warm bowl. Drizzle with the nutmeg cream and sprinkle toasted almonds on top.

Photo courtesy of Denver Dish. Recipe originally published in the Summer + Fall 2020 issue.

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Chef Roy Benningfield has been a part of the downtown Boulder food scene for almost 20 years. As the Culinary Director at SALT, he takes pride in being one of the pioneers of the non-GMO, local and sustainably sourced food movement. Chef Roy was born and raised here in Colorado and still feels like there is something magical happening every time he comes to downtown Boulder… yes, even for work!