As the crisp leaves of fall drift to the ground and the days become shorter, I begin to long for the sunshine – and bounty – of summer. When my kitchen is bursting with juicy Jersey tomatoes and peaches, versatile zucchini and sweet corn, it’s easy to find inspiration to prepare quick and delicious meals.

Fortunately, as the days grow cooler, all is not lost. Now we’re enjoying crisp fresh escarole from my dad’s garden, broccoli, winter squash, apples and a variety of other produce.

One of my favorites is squash. Every fall I experiment with healthy variations of butternut squash soup.

Last night, I tried Cooking Light’s Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup. Unlike many other such recipes, this does not include heavy cream. As instructed, I roasted cubed butternut squash with shallots and olive oil. Because I didn’t have fresh ginger, I sprinkled the vegetables with ground ginger before roasting. I pureed the roasted shallots and squash with chicken broth and added a bit more ginger. I warmed it over the stove, and it was ready to serve.

Roasting the vegetables gave the soup a sweet, rich flavor. On a chilly fall evening, it’s a satisfying starter when followed by a salad (escarole!) and sandwiches.