Butternut squash soup is a wonderful dish for fall, but dealing with the awkwardly shaped squash can be a little intimidating. Look for pre-cut squash in the produce section of your grocery store to save time! Roasting the pre-cut squash brings out a caramelized sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the other ingredients and the white beans add a creamy texture.
Toss the butternut squash cubes and onion pieces with 1 tablespoon of olive olive. Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 20-30 minutes at 425 degrees or until fork tender.
About 5 minutes before butternut squash and onion are done, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a stock pot. Add the diced carrot and let it cooking, stirring occasionally, until the it starts to soften, about 5 minutes or so. Add the garlic, roasted butternut squash, roasted onion, diced tomatoes (plus the juice from the can), and vegetable stock. Give it all a good stir and then add the cannellini beans, sage, and thyme leaves. Bring the soup to a simmer and let it all cook together for 15-20 minutes.
Once the soup has simmered, remove it from the heat and puree it using either an immersion blender or stand blender (be sure to let the soup cool before using a stand blender and then reheat for serving). Stir in the apple cider vinegar - don't skip this! The vinegar adds a nice acidic brightness to the soup - and then add the heavy cream.
Makes approximately 6 one cup servings.
Notes
You can roast the butternut squash up to a day in advance and keep it in the refridgerator until you're ready to make the soup.If you want to freeze the soup, I recommend not adding the cream until you're ready to serve it.