Easy Comforting Roasted Butternut and Carrot Soup
Roasted Butternut and Carrot Soup is a comforting bowl of roasted vegetables, herbs, garlic, peppers, and warm Caribbean-inspired seasoning. Unlike the soups we grew up eating in the Caribbean and those in my cookbook, Soup Season: Caribbean Comfort Food in a Bowl, this roasted butternut soup isn’t as heavy with carbohydrates from ground provisions as a typical Caribbean soup. However, by simply roasting the butternut squash and carrots with herbs and garlic, the flavor is very much on point, as if it were invented in the Caribbean.
With the herbs, peppers, and butternut squash all originating in my garden, this recipe also allowed me to teach Pali (Zyair Rook) the benefits of having a garden and working the land. At five years old, there is something special about introducing children to where food comes from and allowing them to see the process from garden to bowl.
We both enjoyed this comforting roasted butternut and carrot soup with toasted bread and butter. I now have to introduce this curious five-year-old to my Coconut Roasted Tomato Soup and Hearty Lentil Soup, both of which I shared years ago. This is the kind of soup I reach for when the weather turns cool, and I want something tasty, light, and generally comforting without much fuss.
Shopping Made Easy
• Look for a firm butternut squash with unblemished skin and a solid weight for its size.
• Standard grocery stores should have carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, sage, olive oil, curry powder, cumin, ginger, vegetable stock, half and half cream, and honey.
• Caribbean markets are a good place to look for green pimento peppers and fresh wiri wiri peppers.
• If you cannot find wiri wiri peppers, you can simply leave them out as they are optional.
• Coconut cream can be used instead of the cream, while full cream or heavy cream can be used when you want a richer soup.
Cooking Notes from the Kitchen
• Roasting the butternut squash, carrots, onions, herbs, peppers, and garlic first gives this soup much more depth than simply adding raw vegetables to a pot.
• The oil left on the baking tray becomes infused with the flavors of the herbs and peppers, so I use it as the base for continuing with the soup.
• The foil pouch keeps the garlic from burning while allowing it to roast gently and become soft and flavorful.
• Be mindful of the sodium already present in your vegetable stock because it will affect how much additional salt the soup needs.
• If you use thyme, remove any woody stems before serving because they can be a potential choking hazard.
• You can use chicken stock if you are not concerned about keeping the soup vegan.
• Coconut cream can replace the cream, or you can use full cream for a richer soup.
• Freshly ground black pepper is worth adding when you serve the soup.
• Leftover soup can be frozen for those evenings after work when you want something tasty, light, and generally comforting. It can last in the freezer for at least 60 days.
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Easy Comforting Roasted Butternut and Carrot Soup
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Foil
- Large Soup Pot
- Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 3 lbs butternut squash
- 3 large carrots
- 2 medium onions
- 8-10 cloves garlic
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 6-8 leaves sage
- 2 green wiri wiri peppers optional
- 3 green pimento peppers aka seasoning peppers
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground roasted geera cumin
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 3/4 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 1/2 cups half and half cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Cut the squash into 1/2 or 1/4 pieces, scoop out the seeds, and discard them. Peel and cut the onions in half, wash the carrots and cut them lengthwise in half, then place everything onto a lined baking tray.
- Add the herbs and peppers, along with a foil pouch containing the garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the garlic and close the pouch. This will prevent the garlic from burning while everything is in the oven.
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil over everything, top with 1/2 of the salt, and place the baking tray into a preheated 400°F oven uncovered for 45 minutes.
- As the vegetables and herbs roast in the oven, the comforting scent will give your kitchen that homely feel, as if you are ready for a cold winter’s night.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and drain the oil into a large soup pot.
- On a medium-low flame, heat the oil in the pot. That oil is flavored with the herbs, peppers, and roasted vegetables, so it is important that we use this as the base for continuing with the roasted butternut and carrot soup.
- Add the curry powder along with the roasted cumin (geera) and cook for 2 minutes before adding the roasted garlic, along with any oil from the pouch we created.
- Give the carrots and onions a rough chop, then add them to the soup pot. Stir well to combine.
- Scoop out the roasted flesh of the butternut squash and add it to the pot. You may refer to the video below to see how I walk you through this step.
- Stir well, then add the vegetable stock. You may add chicken stock if you are not concerned about this soup being vegan. Regardless of the stock you use, be mindful that it will have a sodium element and affect the overall salt in the dish.
- Add the grated ginger, remaining salt, and black pepper and bring to a boil. As it starts simmering, add the roasted sage leaves and the thyme. With the thyme, remove any woody stems as they can be a potential choking hazard.
- Simmer for 7 minutes.
- Add the half-and-half cream, or use coconut milk, heavy cream, or a combination of them all, along with the honey, and bring back to a simmer.
- Using a stick blender, puree everything until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking, and I recommend freshly ground black pepper when you serve it.
- Freeze leftovers for those evenings after work when you want something tasty, light, and generally comforting. It can last in the freezer for at least 60 days.
- May I recommend trying my Roasted Tomato And Rice Soup and Memories of Tomato Choka, a soup my daughters are hooked on and always request at the first sign of Fall temperatures. What's your favourite soup? Leave me a comment below, and should you have any questions about this soup, drop me a line in The Village, which is our FREE Members ONLY Community.
