Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon is creamy, thick, and absolutely DELICIOUS! Satisfy even the pickiest of eaters with a bowl of this soup on a cold day!
Well, let’s just start this post by saying that those two butternut squash I bought at the Farmer’s Market never knew what hit ’em. The Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon I made with them was truly outstanding! I knew I wanted to try making butternut squash soup, and found a recipe from Food & Wine that called for using pancetta, but I went for something we always seems to have around the house… BACON.
So, let me first start by telling you I have NEVER, EVER cooked butternut squash before, in the 37 years I have been married. Now that I got that off my chest, let me tell you something… this will not be the last time, either! This soup was amazing… my husband and I even had leftovers for lunch today, and it’s still tastes just as good as it did a couple of nights ago when I first made it.
The butternut squash soup is filling, incredibly delicious (especially with the bacon crumbles on top!), and the soup itself is thick and creamy. Seriously orange colored (ha ha) and seriously GOOD. I hope you will give this soup a try… I think you’re gonna love it!
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Butternut Squash
Behold… the humble butternut squash… not too lovely in appearance, but boy, oh boy…it sure makes a GREAT tasting soup!
Split the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, add butter and salt/pepper, and into the oven they go to bake until tender
Here are the squash right out of the oven… that melted butter will also go into the soup. Yes, please!
Preparing The Butternut Squash Soup
Cook chopped onion in a bit of bacon grease in a heavy bottomed pan, then add thyme sprigs and a bay leaf. Building flavor into butternut squash soup is a GOOD thing!
Scoop the cooked squash out of the peel and and add it to a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
Now you will add chicken stock to the pan. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook the butternut squash soup for 15 additional minutes.
Time To Purée The Soup
Okay… now it’s time to blend the soup to make it nice, thick and creamy! NOTE: My Mom gave me an immersion blender. You can use one of those OR blend the soup in batches (in blender or a food processor), till smooth and creamy. Don’t forget to remove the thyme and bay leaves before blending!
The butternut squash soup is all blended together. Stir in the whipping cream to the creamy soup. See how thick and smooth it is? Now it’s time to ladle it up into serving bowls.
Time To Serve The Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon
To serve, place bacon crumbles on top of each portion of soup. Drizzle with whipping cream, a bit of olive oil, and some extra thyme leaves (if desired). Grab a spoon, butter some warm bread, and enjoy this butternut squash soup with bacon! It is lip-smackin’ good!
I really hope you will try this delicious soup, and as always, my hope is you enjoy sharing this delicious meal with those you love!
Looking For More SOUP Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of yummy soup recipes you’re gonna enjoy, including:
- Creamy Avgolemono Soup
- Mom’s Old-Fashioned Chili
- Albondigas Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cream of Asparagus Soup
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Recipe Adapted From: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/butternut-squash-soup-with-crisp-pancetta
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Creamy, thick, and delicious, this butternut squash soup with bacon will satisfy even the pickiest of taste buds on a cold day!
- 2 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
- 3 Tablespoons butter , cut into 4 slices
- Salt and Pepper (to season)
- 4 slices bacon , cooked crisp, then crumbled (Reserve bacon drippings in pan)
- 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
- 1/2 large brown onion , chopped finely
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs , divided
- 1 bay leaf (found in spice section, or Mexican food section in bags)
- 5-6 cups chicken stock (or low-sodium broth)
- 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream , divided
- olive oil (for drizzling as garnish), optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully slice squash in half, lengthwise; scoop out the seeds. Put 4 squash halves cut side up, on a large cookie sheet (with edges). Put one slice of butter into each hole (where the seeds were). Season with salt and pepper. Roast butternut squash for 50-60 minutes at 400 degrees (or until tender). When tender, remove from oven. Let squash cool until it is cool enough to scoop all the squash out of the skins into a large bowl.
Cook bacon in a medium skillet until very crisp. Remove bacon from pan; drain off bacon grease with the exception of 2 Tablespoons (and any little brown bits remaining in the skillet), which you leave in the skillet. Crumble bacon pieces, and set aside for garnishing soup before serving.
Add chopped onion to bacon grease in skillet; cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Transfer onions and any remaining bacon grease from the skillet into a large, heavy stockpot. Stir in cooked squash, chicken stock (add 5 cups of chicken stock at first), 3 thyme sprigs (whole), and the bay leaf. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; stir frequently. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 15 minutes, remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Discard. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until thick and creamy. If not using immersion blender, transfer soup in batches to a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth (about a minute per batch), then return soup to stockpot. If you want soup to be thinner, add an additional cup of chicken stock and stir to combine. Stir 1 Tablespoon whipping cream into soup; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Reheat soup, if necessary. Ladle soup into serving bowls. To serve, place some of the crumbled bacon onto the top middle of the soup. Drizzle a tiny bit of whipping cream onto top, then drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil. Garnish with thyme leaves. Serve, and enjoy!
The prep time includes the time for roasting the squash. Cook the bacon, onions, etc. while squash is in oven to reduce overall time.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!