Name: Deborah Madison's Roasted Squash, Pear, and Ginger Soup
Yield: makes about 4 1/2 cups
Ingredients: One 2 1/2-pound Buttercup, Perfection, or other dense winter squash, rinsed; 3 ripe but firm pears, any variety, quartered, seeds and stems removed; 1 chunk fresh ginger, about 2 inches long, thinly sliced; Sunflower seed or olive oil for the squash; Sea salt; 2 tablespoons butter or sunflower seed oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream, optional

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Deborah Madison's Roasted Squash, Pear, and Ginger SoupCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

This fall soup is like putting on the first sweater of the season: it just feels so good. Although the soup takes several steps—roasting the squash and pears (which can be done a day ahead of time), cooking them, and finally pureeing the soup—none involve much from you. It's an easily made soup that will keep well for days—a great possibility for a holiday meal.

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