PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Place the two halves of the spaghetti squash face down into a baking pan with a bit of water — just barely covering the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Check for readiness by trying to lift off a few strands of squash with a fork. When ready the squash will look like spaghetti and come up easily. In a large pot saute onions in oil over low heat until golden and limp around 30 minutes. (Caramelizing onions does take a while but the flavor is worth it so leave yourself time for this step.)

Add remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer soup for 30 minutes. Meanwhile scrape the squash into a large bowl and remove 1 cup of it to a separate bowl. Transfer the larger amount of squash to the soup and continue to cook until vegetables are soft when pierced with a fork. Remove from heat. Remove carrot from soup and mash with a fork.

Using an immersion blender blend soup until smooth. Return mashed carrot and remaining 1 cup spaghetti squash to soup and stir well to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste.