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

Image may contain Bowl Plant Food and Meal

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.

Recipe notes

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Crème Anglaise

The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Okonomiyaki Tater Tots

Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.