Stilton cheese and pears are a classic combination--the salty milky blue cheese balances the sweet, floral taste of the pears. Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugar, maximizing their inherent sweetness. You can serve this creamy soup as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper.

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/4 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cheese and chives (or scallion greens).

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 236 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 5 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 6 g fiber; 721 mg sodium; 721 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (350% daily value), Vitamin C (70% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Calcium (20% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 2 fat

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Add more broth when reheating, if desired.

Loved the soup. It was yummy! Hope it tastes the same after freezing.

Anonymous, Syracuse, NY

Very good! Made the house smell great while I was roasting. Easy. Basically just cutting up veggies and pears. First time I used stilton cheese. Wow, if you like blue cheese this stuff is great. Creamy! Expensive but a little goes a long way.

Anonymous, pa

This is one of the best squash soups I've eaten. The roasting deepens the flavors and the house really smells good!

Anonymous, St. Paul, MN

I thought the soup was excellent with a subtle pear taste but froze it before Thanksgiving. Upon defrosting and reheating I found the entire pear essence had evaporated..

Anonymous, philadelphia, pa

Soup was excellent. My husband and mother-in-law think it was made with pumpkin because they don't like squash. The cheese was just the right touch to add a little salty and cream to the soup

Anonymous, buffalo, ny

My husband added one can of Lite Coconut milk and seasoned to taste with Red Curry as opposed to adding the Stilton cheese. It was ever so pleasing to the taste buds as I, myself, have never been a fan for any squash dishes. Excellent taste hot or cold as well.

Anonymous, Klamath Falls, OR

We were served this soup at Thanksgiving Dinner. It was excellent. Not a drop left. We will make again and again.

Anonymous, Long Beach, CA

Loved it! My husband was skeptical until he tasted it. Definetly a keeper.

Julie, Tempe, AZ

This is just about the best soup I have ever made. My husband and I can't wait for the fall to get some fresh soup on the table and in the freezer. I cannot recommend this recipe highly enough!

Jan, Huntington Beach, CA

This soup was wonderful! I served it with garlic cracked wheat toast. I bought Gorgonzola cheese instead of Stilton because I hate blue cheese, but thought I would give it a go in something. It was perfect with the soup.

Anonymous, Austin, TX

This soup is so delicious. Kids, teens and adults ask for second helpings of this recipe. This soup freezes well; it tastes just as good when reheated. I will serve it at our Thanksgiving dinner.

Jane, Portland, OR

I thought this soup was much better the next day--luckily being just two of us we had plenty of leftovers. The Stilton really makes the soup. I don't have fresh tomatoes on hand in November, so I used canned tomato sauce and only used 1/2 the salt called for in the recipe. Used onions instead of leeks and tons more garlic and roasted some carrots along with the pears and squash. This is the kind of recipe that you can play around with. Next time I think I'll try it with vegetarian chicken broth, since I found the veggie broth to be a little overpowering.

Penelope, Burlington, VT

A fabulous taste of autumn. My entire family loved the taste of roasted vegetables.

Anonymous, Salt Lake City, UT

Very easy to make, but nothing without the stilton cheese. I am the queen of butternut squash soup, and love pears, but without the cheese it was only okay. With the cheese it was fabulous.

Betty, Seattle, WA

Very good. I liked the fact that it used fruits and veggies that came into my local farm market at the same time. I found I had to roast the mixture a little longer to bring out the roasted taste, as my tomatoes and pears were very juicy.

Anonymous, Chicago, IL

Skip the chicken stock. Just crumble the Stilton onto the roasted fruit and vegetables and enjoy the unadulterated flavors.

Anonymous, Alameda, CA

This was superb! The sweetness of the pears and the contrast of the stilton really works to create an interesting soup. I wouldn't hesitate to make this for a formal dinner party.

Ellen, Oakton, VA

What a beautiful and delicious soup. After fixing it once, we prepared it as the first course of a "prize winning" dinner in which we participated - everyone loved it! Also freezes beautifully.

Merry, Saluda, NC

The best butternut squash soup I've ever had. Easy and delicious. My husband and I ski a lot. Perfect for a thermos lunch.

Donna, Pleasanton, CA