This soup is almost entirely made in the oven, involving roasting unpeeled vegetables and then blending them with chicken or vegetable stock. It’s one of my ‘Plan B’ recipes – perfect for those times when everything else seems to fail, yet you still crave a hearty home-cooked meal. It’s not only easy and quick, but also delivers a potful of comforting and delicious soup with minimum effort.

The true highlight of this soup is the umami warmth of the over-the-top amount of roasted garlic. But what truly elevates this recipe is its remarkable simplicity.

In the photo, I served the soup with kreplach – the diametric opposite of a fast and easy recipe, but nonetheless delicious!

Special equipment: Immersion blender (or zhuzher as we call it at home!)

Special equipment: Immersion blender.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium butternut squashes, unpeeled, cut in half, seeds removed
• 3 medium onions, unpeeled, cut in half
• 2 medium heads garlic, top ½ cm sliced off
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 liter chicken or vegetable broth
• More water if needed

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven: Heat oven to 200°C/400°F.
2. Roast the vegetables: Place the squash, onions, and garlic on a large rimmed roasting tin (or divide across two tins if needed). Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the lower half of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the squash is tender and a knife slides in easily.
3. Prepare the roasted vegetables: Remove the tray from the oven. Scoop the flesh from the squash and discard the skins. Peel the onions and garlic, discarding the papery skins. Transfer all the roasted flesh to a large saucepan.
4. Blend the soup: Add half the broth to the saucepan. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, gradually adding the remaining broth and water until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
5. Heat the soup: Turn the heat to medium and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, if needed.

MAKE AHEAD:

1. Roasted vegetables can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days before blending into soup.
2. Fully made soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Reheat gently and check seasoning before serving.