Get out your soup pots, folks. It’s officially winter. On Thursday, we returned from a New Year’s jaunt to New Jersey and were greeted by 8 degree overnight lows. Yikes!

There’s nothing like soup to warm you up on a chilly night. This one from Kitchen Confidante – full of protein and the rich flavors of butternut squash and leeks – is sure to do the trick! Serve it with some crusty bread and perhaps some greens and you’ve got the perfect winter meal.

For the Roasted Butternut Squash

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If desired, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Save the seeds for roasting, if desired. Brush or drizzle the squash flesh with olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Place face down on the baking sheet and roast for about 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender. (The time will vary depending on the size of your squash – be sure it is quite tender or else you’ll have some trouble scooping it out and blending it later.) Remove from oven and carefully scoop out the squash with a spoon. This can be done in advance, just keep the roasted squash in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

For the Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, sliced thinly and then rinsed thoroughly
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon curry powder or more to taste
• 4 cups vegetable stock (we used our new Penzeys veggie soup base – yum!)
• roasted butternut squash (see above)
• 12 oz silken tofu, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for about 5 minutes. When they start to wilt, add the ginger and cook for another 5 minutes until the leeks are fully wilted. Stir in the curry powder until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle boil.
3. Add the tofu and butternut squash and blend with an immersion blender. (Or, in two batches, blend in a traditional blender.)
4. Return to the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the salt and pepper, seasoning to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes until the soup just begins to thicken. Serve immediately, garnished with some additional sliced leeks.

Yes – you read that right. This recipe calls for tofu. We’ve been wanting to try adding tofu to soup for a while and this was our inaugural attempt. *As long as the ratio is right,* it’s a seamless addition that serves to thicken the soup and add protein without adding dairy. Unfortunately, we decided to just throw in the whole package of tofu (16oz), which meant that the tofu flavor was a bit too present for our liking. We compensated with a little extra curry powder and some powdered ginger. Next time, we’ll either add more butternut squash to adjust the ratio or just stick to the 12oz.

Enjoy!