Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup

It's been the year of the soup around here. Jake will probably tell you I'm obsessed. I've made just about as many soup recipes this year as I have bread because what goes better with a fresh and rustic, crusty loaf of bread then a delicious bowl of soup? Not much, I've found. So today, I came up with my own concoction – a spin on one of my favorite things: butternut squash.

I've had lots of inspiration. Heidi Swanson's Adzuki Butternut Squash Soup is probably my all-time favorite soup. I decided to start my soup in the same fashion since I thought the spices would go really well with black beans, something different than the all-too-popular cumin. Willi, of Diggin' Food, introduced me to the butternut squash and black bean combo with her recipe for Butternut Squash Tacos. Then, if that wasn't enough, I stumbled upon a recipe for Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup on Smitten Kitchen and it was over. My local, in-season (no tomatoes), vegetarian creamy squash soup was born.

I made the beans for this soup the day before. I have recently rediscovered my crock pot and don't know why I've been neglecting the poor thing all this time. It seems like more work than just cracking open a can, but honestly, the whole process probably took me the same amount of hands-on time. Let the beans soak while you're sleeping and then throw the beans in the pot in the morning and cover generously with water. Don't add salt – it will harden the beans. Add salt at the very end. Put the crock pot on low and come home to a fresh pot of beans. It's fantastic!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup

The only thing that could have made this soup better would be toasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top. Just put a handful of raw pumpkin seeds (the little green ones you see in the bulk section of natural foods markets) in a dry skillet over medium heat and stir. The seeds will start darkening and will begin to pop with they are toasted. Watch them carefully! They can go from olive green to charcoal in just a few minutes. I sprinkle them on just about any creamy vegetable soup, but especially orange ones like squash and carrot.

Makes about 7 cups

1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

2 cups of black beans, cooked and drained

1 medium onion, large dice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 salt

3 cups vegetable stock

~2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus some for brushing

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.* Brush the skinless sides of the squash with olive oil, place them face down on a cookie sheet, and put them in the hot oven for about 30 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the thickest part meets no resistance. Once the squash is tender, remove the skins and puree the "meat" until smooth.

2. In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the coriander and cinnamon to the oil and stir for a minute or two, then add the onion. Stir the onions around to coat them with the spices and let cook for about ten minutes.

3. Next, add the garlic, squash puree, stock, beans, and salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer to meld all the flavors.

4. Puree half of the soup until smooth and return the puree to the pot. Serve sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds and enjoy.

*I have to end this post with one final plug for home-made stock. Simply combine 2 onions (cut into large chunks), 3 smashed cloves of garlic, a couple sprigs of thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, the seeds and pulp from the inside of the squash you just cut, and 2 quarts of water. Let simmer for 30 minutes while the squash is roasting. When it's done, just strain it and you'll have an amazingly delicious stock for your soup. You'll even have two pints left over! Just fill a mason jar (leave some head room so your jar doesn't crack) and freeze. You'll be so happy you did.