Best Butternut Squash Soup

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. Pile butternut squash, onion, and celery on a baking sheet and spread out, separating onion wedges into "leaves". Add rosemary sprigs and drizzle olive oil over all the ingredients. Generously season with kosher salt and toss to combine, again spreading out vegetables into a single layer.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until vegetables are tender and start to char, about 25 minutes; no need to stir. Remove baking sheet from the oven and transfer roasted vegetables and liquid to a large pot.

4. Pour enough vegetable broth into the pot to cover the vegetables and turn heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take out rosemary sprigs and remove pot from stove.

5. Use an immersion blender to puree soup until desired smoothness. Add heavy cream and puree until creamy.

6. Return soup to the stove and simmer over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with pepper and serve.

Cook's Note:

You can use water instead of vegetable broth. You might need up to 4 cups of liquid, depending on the volume of the vegetables. Use half-and-half or milk instead of cream if you like. If you are using rosemary leaves only, you can puree them with the rest of the soup.