Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup

October 30, 2015

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup


I’m totally hoarding pumpkins at the moment — I buy a butternut every time I go to the shops.
Yet not a single one of them will become a Jack-o’-Lantern (I’m so bad at carving pumpkin — no matter how hard I try they always come out lousy) nor they will be used for making pumpkin pie (I know that’s almost blasphemous to say but I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie — the texture is just way too gloppy for me.)


Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup


The reason I’ve been hoarding pumpkins is that I’m currently obsessed with this Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup.
I love it. It is so satisfying. There’s just something about the combination of roasted squash, bacon, bell pepper, and thyme that makes me swoon.
I've made it three times in the past three days.
I'm not ashamed to say that I could honestly eat this soup for dinner every night. Every.Night.
And I’ve done it, every night for the past three nights. Tonight it will be the fourth night in a row.
Talking about obsessions...

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup


As you might have noticed, during winter my diet naturally shifts to eating more warming, cooked foods from the raw stuff that I eat during the summer.
It can get pretty darn cold ‘round here and I love nothing more than a thick nutritious soup to warm me from the inside out.
That being said, I almost always eat my cooked meals alongside something raw. Keeping the raw aspect strong when eating more cooked foods is a smart way to create a good balance of nutrients and textures.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup


Anyways, the secret of this recipe is in roasting the butternut squash, bell pepper, onions, and garlic with bacon, and then blending them right up.
The smoky bacon gives this soup a surprising depth of flavor, while the pumpkin gives it just the right hint of sweetness.
Don’t have time to cook during the week? This soup freezes great. You can freeze individual portions and pop ‘em in the microwave whenever you are in a rush.
But you need to try it because it's (almost) life-changing.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup


Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup                                                                                Print this recipe!
Adapted from TheCrepesOfWrath

Ingredients
Serves 6

1 medium butternut squash (About 1 lb / 453 gr), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced sliced
4 slices of bacon, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon fine grain salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ½ cups / 625 ml vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Crispy bacon, chopped chives, crumbled feta cheese for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Lightly grease a baking sheet and place butternut squash chunks, quartered onion, diced red bell pepper, chopped bacon, and garlic cloves in a single layer.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring at halftime, until butternut squash is nicely roasted.
When ready, remove from the oven and peel garlic.
Transfer everything to a large pot, add thyme, stock, and puree with an immersion blender.
Place pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until it starts to thicken.
If it’s too thick add more stock, ¼ cup at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Take a taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve garnished with some crispy bacon, chopped chives, and crumbled feta if desired.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 126 calories, 9 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of protein.

14 comments:

  1. This looks amazing, Mike! This is my kind of soup for a cold day...and bacon makes everything better. But now I'm starting to wonder. There are a lot of pumpkin sitting on people's doorsteps right now. I bet you could sneak out and start collecting them all...you know, in case the store runs out. There's nothing wrong with that idea, right? #WolfpackPumpkinThief

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  2. The color is so stunning! I love how the smoky bacon cuts through the sweetness of the butternut squash :)

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  3. Soups are so satisfying when the weather is cold :) when I lived with my dad, we'd get some Pho for breakfast in the winters, and still do when I go up to visit.
    I love gloopy pumpkin pie :P

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  4. That looks to die for!! I love soup I will have to try this soon!

    http://xoxobella.com

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  5. This soup is pure bliss! You not only topped it with bacon but you roasted the veggies in bacon too! So cool! I hope you tagged TheFeedFeed and Bacon - I'd love to highlight this one in the bacon feed - if that's cool...
    Have a wonderful weekend Mike!

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  6. I am on the same wavelength in fact..... I always bring a butternut squash from the store, and lately next to it I place a spaghetti squash, like brother and sister...

    haven't yet made soup with butternut yet, but that will come soon, I am sure. Cannot skip the winter months, so better face them in style... ;-)

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  7. I wonder how many NET carbs this recipe is? Looks great!

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  8. I love the sweet and salty combo you got going on in this beautiful soup! Im sure the bacon takes this soup to a whole other level! Love it!

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  9. I'm obsessed with all things butternut squash and this soup looks fabulous! Love that you added bacon, because YES to that delicious pairing! I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner DAILY! SO YUM! Cheers!

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  10. I'm making my squash rounds! Last week was butternut and acorn. This week is sweet dumpling and spaghetti. Next go-round, I'll definitely grab a butternut to try out this life changing soup!

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  11. I made a butternut and carrot soup last week. Didn't think of adding the bacon and feta, but that sounds great. Trying to build up a bunch of recipes that are gluten free for some cousin. Doesn't hurt us either. Thanks

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  12. I know exactly what you mean - I've been addicted to pumpkin soup for over a month now, too :D We make it every Friday and it lasts for a few days then. I love it and I just never get tired of it! I have not tried roasting it and adding bacon to it. I need to try this asap, it sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us!

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  13. This is a thing of beauty!
    I’m with you on the pumpkin pie being gloopy, I’m more a pecan pie fan myself. I’ll eat the pumpkin pie to be that polite guest, can’t be rude, but it wouldn’t be my first pick for a pie.
    This soup is a beauty and love me some bacon and feta. Nice!

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  14. I wonder if this delish-looking recipe would work for the acorn squash I've been staring down in my dining room.

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