Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 500 g butternut squash (peeled and chopped into small chunks (roughly 2cm cubes – See Note 1))
• 2 large red (bell) peppers (chopped into chunks (roughly 2cm x 2cm))
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (grated or crushed)
• 500 ml vegetable stock (from a cube is fine (I used Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock))
• Salt and black pepper (to taste (See Note 2))
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped finely)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.

2. 2

   Place the chopped butternut squash and red pepper in a large roasting tin. (Big enough so the vegetables can be in one layer and not touching each other.)

3. 3

   Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables and toss everything together, so the vegetables are well coated in the oil. Then arrange in one layer, ensuring the vegetables are not touching each other.

4. 4

   Place the roasting tin in your pre-heated oven and roast for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the veggies. Take care to ensure the vegetables are well spaced out again.

5. 5

   Put the roasting tray back in the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and have just started to go brown round the edges.

6. 6

   While the vegetables are having their final 10 minutes roasting time, place the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onions in a fairly large saucepan and gently fry for 4 minutes, with the lid on, until softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.

7. 7

   Add the garlic and fry gently for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.

8. 8

   When the roasted vegetables are ready, add them to the saucepan, together with the vegetable stock, salt and pepper and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.

9. 9

   Tip the soup into a blender, together with the fresh basil, and blitz until completely smooth. PLEASE TAKE CARE AS THE SOUP WILL BE VERY HOT! (See Note 3.)

10. 10

    If necessary, return the blended soup back to the saucepan and warm back up to your desired temperature. You may also wish to check the seasoning at this point too. If the soup is a little thick for your tastes, add a little extra water at this point to achieve your desired consistency.

11. 11

    Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with homemade bread.