Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 6

• 1 lb butternut squash chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 medium onion, cut into 6-8 chunks
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, optional for garnish

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a cooking spray. Place the squash, sweet potato, apple, onion and garlic into a bowl and sprinkle with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables well to be sure they are coated with the oil, salt and pepper.

Place the vegetables on the prepared baking sheet and roast on the center rack of your oven for 30-40 minutes, until they are for tender. Remove the the vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool on your counter for 10-15 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooling, place the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat on your stovetop. Heat them, stirring occasionally, until you smell the aroma of the nuts, about 5 minutes. remove the pan from the heat, tossing the nuts so they don't burn. Set the nuts aside to cool.

Place the vegetables and thyme in the bowl of your blender. Add approximately 2 cups of the chicken broth and puree the mixture until it is smooth with no visible chunks. Pour the vegetable mixture into a medium sauce pan. Add the remaining chicken broth to the mixture, stirring to combine. Heat the mixture over medium heat until bubbly.

Serve hot, garnished with a few toasted pine nuts for a little extra nutty flavor.