Roasted butternut squash and plantain soup

Following the incredible British summer (which lasted five days), like many Londoners I am once again, for the 23rd year in my life, confused as to whether to eat an ice-cream or grab something warm and spicy.Well today  it was raining so I decided to make the latter and make a spicy, creamy and sweet soup to get me through the day. Putting spin on the butternut squash soup, I had to put a spin on this recipe and throw in my favourite vegetable - plantain. So, I hope you enjoy!

What You'll Need

• Nutri-bullet or hand blender
• Saucepan
• Spoon
• Chopping board
• Knife

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 Knorr Chicken Cube (or Vegetable)
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1 Plantain
• 1/2 Scotch bonnet
• 3 garlic pieces (or 4 or 5 or 6, there's no such thing as too much garlic)
• 1 Onion
• 400 ml Chicken Stock (from chicken I cooked earlier)

 

Steps

Prepping the Butternut Squash

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
2. Slice off the top and bottom ends of the squash, then cut half way (either horizontally or vertically - whatever you prefer).
3. Scoop the seeds out and place aside in a bowl. Then place the butternut in an oven tray.

and the rest....

1. Similar to the squash, take the plantain and cut both the top and bottom then peel off the skin. After, slice the plantain into three to four pieces vertically. (Tip: for a sweeter taste, aim for a riper plantain. Ripe plantain is usually softer, yellow, and has a few black lines - or just look at the plantain image below!) 
2. Now add the onion, scotch bonnet and garlic in the tray.
3. Once all the ingredients are in the tray, sprinkle lightly with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.
4. To check if the squash is ready, poke with a fork. If the squash is still hard and the remaining ingredients are ready, remove them and give the squash an extra 20 minutes.
5. Once the squash is ready, peel off the skin and scoop the flesh into a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Then add the Knorr cube, salt and chicken stock.
6. Leave this to simmer on a low-medium heat for five to ten minutes.
7. Take a hand blender or nutri-bullet and blend until smooth.
8. To finish, assist with some pumpkin seed bread. 

...and there you go.... butternut and plantain roasted soup to last you throughout the week! Tip of the week: So for a quick snack, simply washed and place the seeds into the oven for 10 - 15 minutes. For taste, sprinkle with salt and they're ready to go!

Servings & Storing

Up to eight servings so it is optimal for meal prepStore in refrigerator for up to five days. Store in freezer for up to three months.