Sheet Pan Soup

We all need a good soup. But sometimes we need a soup that’s perfect for dunking a grilled cheese in. I love a classic tomato soup, but this soup has butternut squash, carrots, and tomatoes for a soup that’s velvety smooth and full of roasted veggie flavor. Making it is simple: We toss everything on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil before seasoning with salt and pepper. Since the onions and garlic are also roasted, they add so much more flavor to the soup than if they were sauteed in a pan. After being blended up and adding cream a few other ingredients, this soup is ready to be served with your favorite sandwich. My personal favorite to serve it with is a grilled cheese sandwich on my homemade jalapeno cheddar sourdough, but my other favorite sandwiches to serve with soup are a classic turkey club or a BLT. You can also make some crunchy croutons to serve on top of the soup, and I like to add some fresh basil and a handful of freshly grated parmesan for extra flavor. I call this recipe sheet pan soup, but my kids call it magic soup because of how easy it is to make.

Ingredients for Sheet Pan Soup

• Butternut squash: butternut squash is in season, and the natural sweetness of it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes so well. When blended together, the butternut squash gives this soup the perfect velvety texture.
• Onion: onions are in most soups, but when roasted in the oven before blending? It’s such a great way to amplify the flavor.
• Garlic: yes, we are using a whole head of garlic in this recipe, but roasting the garlic helps mellow the sharp flavor so much and gives a great flavor to the soup. Simply cut off the top, drizzle generously with olive oil, and wrap in foil before tossing on the pan to roast with everything else.
• Carrots: why not add in an extra roasted veggie to this soup? Be sure to cut the carrots a little smaller than the butternut squash as it will take longer to cook them.
• Tomatoes: I used 4 large and one smaller tomato that were generously shared with me from a friend’s garden. This is a “measure with your heart” recipe, and you can use whatever makes the most sense to you.
• Olive oil: to drizzle all over your veggies before roasting.
• Salt and pepper: since the seasonings in this soup are simple, use freshly ground black pepper.
• Chicken or vegetable broth: I used homemade chicken bone broth for extra protein, but vegetable bone broth also works.
• Heavy cream: this ingredient is added after blending the soup and placing in a large stock pot. It adds creaminess and is just so good.
• Smoked paprika: a little bit of smoked paprika adds to the roasted flavors we have here.
• Lemon juice: this soup was perfect after I added all of the above ingredients, but a hit of acid from the lemon juice helped brighten it in a way that took it to the next level.
• Parmesan cheese, basil, and crotons for garnish, optional: you can always keep it simple and leave out the garnish! Serve with your favorite sandwich or artisan loaf for dipping.

How to Make Sheet Pan Soup

• This soup is truly as magical as it sounds. I like to peel, deseed, and chop my butternut squash, but you can also cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. The butternut squash will take longer to cook if you go this route, so you will need to use two sheet pans to let the squash get a jump start. Place the squash, peeled and chopped carrots, halved tomatoes, and roughly chopped onion onto a large sheet pan. Cut the top off of the garlic and drizzle with olive oil before wrapping and sealing in aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over all the veggies and sprinkle with salt and pepper, using your hands to coat evenly.
• Roast in the oven until everything is nice and tender, about 30-40 minutes. You can use a spatula to toss the squash and carrots if needed.
• When everything is tender, transfer to a blender with the chicken broth. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into the blender as well and blend until smooth. Alternatively, if you have an immersion blender you can transfer everything to a large pot and blend until smooth with your immersion blender.
• Transfer the soup to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and smoked paprika, then taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
• Top with parmesan, basil, and croutons, if desired. Serve with crusty bread or your favorite grilled cheese for dunking.

This soup season do not skip this sheet pan soup. It’s cozy and packed with veggies and the whole family will love it for a simple and delicious meal at home with bread or grilled cheese for dipping. It’s truly going to be your new favorite version of tomato soup with even more veggies packed in.