Peel the butternut squash and then cube them into half-inch pieces. Place them in a bowl and add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and salt to taste. Mix well.
1 ½ lb Butternut Squash, 4 tablespoon Olive oil, as needed Salt
Layer a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with oil. Spread the cubed butternut squash in a single layer. Bake them at 425 F, turning a couple of times in between until browned and tender. It took me about 30 minutes.
In a small pan, dry roast the ancho chilies until aromatic. I was unable to get Ancho chilies and hence used the Indian dry red chili. Keep it aside.
3 small Ancho chilies
In a soup pot or a deep pot, add the remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and let it cook in medium flame until the onions are translucent and the carrots are cooked.
1 large Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 cloves Garlic
Add the toasted red chili, vegetable broth, and 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the roasted squash. Add cumin powder and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
1 ½ lb Butternut Squash, 3 cups Vegetable broth, 2 cups Water, 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin powder, 3 small Ancho chilies
Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. At this stage, if the soup is too thick, add more water and bring it to the preferred consistency.
Add salt and pepper as needed and transfer it to the serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream (optional). I also served the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with some roasted corn to add crunch.
to taste Pepper, to garnish Sour cream, to garnish Cilantro, to garnish Roasted corn nuts