A Harvest of Gray Tablescape and Favorite Fall Soup

I’m at the table enjoying the last bit of fall color

and a hayride, courtesy of Royal Stafford’s Hayride Harvest~

My harvest of gray pumpkins is

paired with a few leaves for a pop of color~

And I’m enjoying a visit to the Blacksmith’s Forge,

courtesy Royal Stafford~

One of our favorite fall soups is Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear~ easy and full of flavor,

since you roast all the ingredients in the oven and add them to chicken stock!

Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugars,

 enhancing their natural sweetness. Balancing the sweetness with a little savory

are the leeks, tomatoes, and garlic.

The recipe calls for crumbled Stilton cheese, but any blue cheese will do.

We also enjoy it with some chopped walnuts and a little bacon or crispy prosciutto doesn’t hurt either :)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup 

~2 pears, peeled, quartered and cored

~2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks

~2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered (I used 3 since mine were small)

~2 large leeks, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise 

~2 cloves garlic

~Extra Virgin Olive Oil

~Salt & Pepper, to taste

~4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock 

Garnish: crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese, chopped walnuts, crumbled bacon or proscuitto

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

~Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. (Don’t be afraid of the charred bits from roasting, that’s added flavor.)

*Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large stock pot. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan.

Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes.

*I add the roasted vegetables to my already hot chicken stock in a dutch oven and use my immersion blender. The soup is done in minutes, with no worries that your blender will be exploding hot soup and with MUCH less clean up.

Adjust this recipe to your taste buds or pantry by adding an extra tomato, or pear, and even a couple of additional cloves of garlic since it’s mellow from roasting. You can substitute vegetable stock and add more or less stock, depending on how thick you want your soup. You can also harvest some tiger stripe pumpkins and hollow them out for a bowl~ they’re the right size for an appetizer serving and keep the soup nice and warm!

Print Recipe

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

A favorite fall soup, easy and full of flavor! Top with crumbled blue cheese, chopped walnuts and crispy prosciutto or crumbled bacon.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butternut squash, chicken stock, favorite fall soup, immersion blender, leeks, pear, roasted vegetables, tomatoes

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• immersion or regular blender
• Dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2 pears peeled, quartered and cored
• 2 pounds butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 2 medium tomatoes cored and quartered
• 2 large leeks pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise
• 2 cloves garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock or substitute vegetable stock
• Optional toppings: crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese, chopped walnuts,crispy prosciutto or crumbled bacon.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. (Don’t be afraid of the charred bits from roasting, that’s added flavor.)
• *Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large stock pot. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan.
• *Alternatively, add the roasted vegetables to hot chicken stock in a dutch oven and use an immersion blender. The soup is done in minutes, with no worries of exploding hot soup from your blender and to minimize clean up.
• Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes.
• Serve with a garnish of crumbled blue cheese, chopped walnuts, crumbled bacon or crispy prosciutto.

Notes

• Adjust this recipe to your taste buds or pantry by adding an extra tomato, or pear, and even a couple of additional cloves of garlic since it’s mellow from roasting. You can substitute vegetable stock and add more or less stock, thinning to your desired consistency.
• To save prep time, use cubed butternut squash, available in produce department of most grocery stores 

Harvest of Gray Details:

Plates-Royal Stafford Harvest Hayride, The Blacksmith’s Forge/ HomeGoods

Goblets/ Mikasa French Countryside

Napkins/Tuesday Morning

Chargers & Flatware/Pottery Barn

Coverlet-Quilt/ Kohl’s

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 Metamorphosis Monday