I had been craving a rich, creamy, aromatic, roasted butternut soup for weeks now! I'm in the second trimester of my 5th child and have to respond to these cravings! So I finally had a cold rainy day with no dinner ideas so I got to work making my long awaited soup!

I begin by cutting my squash in half lengthwise. Lay face up on baking sheet. Sprinkle with fresh grated nutmeg, cracked pepper, pink Himalayan sea salt, and garlic powder. A whole peeled sweet Vidalia onion and a persimmon (apple or pear would work too) added to the sheet also. Roast in oven on 400°F for an hour.

Will be fork tender and your house will smell amazing! Let cool to touch after removing from oven. Then spoon out the squash flesh from the skin to prepare to blend it smooth. You can use an immersion blender or something like my Ninja Blender.

Add onion, persimmon and inside of squash and blend. You will have to add your broth as you go. It can be vegetable or meat broth, store bought or homemade. I used the organic chicken broth from Kroger. Blend until smooth.

Now pour into a cast iron (enameled like mine) or stainless steel pan and add your favorite spices! You can go sweet or savory here and I went with both and I leaned in an Indian flavor direction because I felt like it (pregnancy cravings have to be obeyed). For the sweet side I used more fresh grated nutmeg, a dash of Ceylon cinnamon and have seen people use pumpkin pie spice. Then for Indian highlights I did a pinch or masala, a dash of curry powder and some cumin. A little salt and pepper and we had the perfect flavor profile... almost! Then I bring to simmer on low to medium heat. Be careful not too hot or splatters will burn you.

When you get a low simmer it's time to add the final ingredient, a can of coconut cream to bring all those flavors together and create a creamy texture that makes you just want to keep eating bowl after bowl!

I don't know if it was because this was the perfect recipe ever created or if those pregnancy hormones were on overdrive but I couldn't stop tasting it before dinner! I had three sample bowls before dinner was even served!

I had every intention in the world of taking all the leftovers and putting into individual serving sizes in freezer. But in two days there was nothing left! It was even better the second day! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Leave a comment down below of you changed it up and put your own spin on it!