Rich Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup You Should Make Tonight

Why A Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup?

Recently, I woke up one morning craving crispy, greasy bacon, pretty bad!! I don’t know what got into me, because I can’t really eat it. If you follow me, you probably already know this, but for those who just tuned in, I’m a mouth cancer survivor, and chewing and swallowing in general, can be difficult. Bacon isn’t on my list of easy-to-eat foods. It’s mostly soup that’s on my dinner menu. So of course, I didn’t have any bacon stashed in the fridge! But, I figured if I ignored the craving, it would be gone in a couple of hours. But, NO, the damned itch for bacon persisted. So I had to get myself presentable, and drive to the store to buy some nice, thick, smokey bacon! Upon my return home, I immediately set to creating some kind of bacon-based soup. And that’s how I ended up creating this Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup. I hope you love it as much as I do. 🙂

My Favourite Way to Prepare Vegetables for Soup Recipes

I have come to prefer roasting vegetables, for most of my soup recipes. Roasted vegetables suffuse a soup with subtle smokiness, and intensify its flavour profile. If you want to make this soup, but skip the roasting, cook the vegetables (one kind at a time) in the pot instead, for a few minutes (for each kind) add the broth and simmer a little longer, until the veggies are soft enough to be pureed. But, I highly recommend roasting instead. Butternut squash tastes even better coated in olive oil and spices and roasted.

Why You Might Love Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

This Roasted Butternut Squash with Bacon soup is fairly easy to prepare, and you don’t have to be Gordon Ramsey to make it. And, it tastes heavenly! Like it’s so good, it’s hard to refrain from downing a second bowl. If you don’t like bacon though, I would skip right over this recipe, because it’s got bacon written all over it! Refer to the beginning of this post. I was mad for the bacon!! LOL It’s also nutritious, because it’s loaded with veggies, but it’s not a recipe for anyone who’s counting every calorie. Along with the healthy stuff, like the butternut squash, the cauliflower, carrots, onions, garlic and lime juice, its ingredient list includes butter, cream, bacon, and bacon fat.

Butternut Squash is a main ingredient in Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon soup, and contains beta-carotene which is converted by the body, to vitamin A, an important vitamin for maintaining healthy eyesight. Butternut squash also contains vitamin C and E, which can help prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration.

Carrots are also a main ingredient in Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup. They too, are high in vitamin A, and in lutein, which also helps with vision and brain health. I guess I could also call this recipe, “Excellent Soup For Eyeball Health”. LOL

A third main ingredient is cauliflower which contains high amounts of fibre, vitamin C, K, and folate, which is great for gut and skin health, and the overall health of your body.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup is rich, creamy, subtly smoky, nutritionally dense and really damned good. Heck, I think you should go get some butternut squash, cauliflower, carrots, onions and bacon and just make it asap!

Tips for Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

• For a chunkier soup, scoop out about half of soup into a bowl and set it aside, then puree the soup. After pureeing, and before serving, add the reserved soup back into each bowl of soup. It makes for a beautiful presentation.
• The carrots should be peeled and cut into thicker stick shapes for roasting.
• Peel the skin on the squash till you don’t see any “white” and cut into larger cubes.
• The cauliflower should be cut into larger-sized pieces for roasting.
• Cut the yellow onion into halves or quarters for roasting and dice the red onion for sautéing in the pot.

• Vegetable broth or chicken broth can be used for this recipe.
• Boil water to thin out the soup in case you need it. Too much broth can make the soup taste too salty.
• Make sure to cook the onion with 1/2 tsp of salt on low heat for at least 10 minutes to bring out maximum sweetness. Try not to rush this.
• It’s better to leave the peel on the garlic when roasting. You just squeeze it out after it’s cooked.
• Fry up at 6-8 slices of bacon and reserve the bacon grease. Lay some paper towel on a plate & place the bacon on top to remove the excess grease. Use at least 2 tbsp of the fat in the soup.
• Top up the soup with some bacon pieces and sliced green onion. You can also add freshly grated cheddar cheese, or sour cream, or croutons or all of the above.

The Ingredients in Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

• 2 large yellow onions (cut in half or quarters for roasting)
• 8 cloves of garlic, 3 minced and 5 roasted
• 1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed for roasting)
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into larger florets (for roasting)
• 3 carrots (cut longer and larger for roasting)
• 1/2 a large red onion (diced, for the pot)
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2-3 cups boiling water (just in case you need to thin the soup)
• 6-8 pieces of bacon fried and chopped into smaller pieces (reserve the bacon fat)
• 1/2 cup of whole milk mixed with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp of olive oil (in the soup pot for sautéing the onion) and 1/3 of a cup to coat the veggies prior to roasting
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1/2 tsp. to cook the onion & the rest added to the soup pot
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper or more to taste (for the roasted veggies) and another 1/4 tsp. or more for the soup

The Herb and Spice Blends for Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

1. For Roasting the Vegetables

• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 2 tsp. mild yellow curry powder
• 1 tsp. sage
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. all spice powder
• 1/2 tsp. dry thyme
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

2. To Add To The Soup Pot

• 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. yellow mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. of dry thyme
• 1 tbsp. dry parsley (add in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking)

How to Make Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Gather & Prepare the Ingredients

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Wash, peel and cut the vegetables to be roasted: cauliflower, squash, carrots, yellow onions and 5 cloves of garlic. Place them in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Prepare a baking sheet (or 2) with aluminum foil for roasting the veggies.
4. Toss the veggies with oil and the herbs listed above. (for roasting) Place them onto the baking sheet(s) and in the oven when it’s ready. Roast on the upper racks for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and soft. When they’re done, set a few pieces aside to top up the soup. (optional)
5. Dice the red onion and mince the garlic and prep the broth.
6. Start to fry up the bacon (reserve bacon fat and don’t forget to blot the bacon pieces with a towel). Set aside.
7. When the veggies are 1/2 way through roasting, start cooking the red onion. Stir occasionally and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot to loosen them. Lots of flavour there!

Begin With The Base of the Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

1. Boil water in case you need to thin the soup.
2. When the onion is finished cooking, add in the butter, melt it, and toss in the herb and spice blend and toast for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
4. Add the roasted vegetables, stir and pour in the bacon fat. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

Add the Remaining Ingredients

1. Pour in a little broth, loosen any stuck on bits on the bottom of the pot, then pour in the rest of the broth (and the boiling water if needed). Stir and bring the soup to a boil.
2. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. While the soup simmers, cut up the bacon, squeeze the lime and cut some green onion for garnish. You can also grate the cheese if you decide to garnish the soup with it.
4. In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, add the parsley and a little salt and pepper.

Finishing Touches & Presentation

1. When the soup is finished cooking, take it off the heat, pour in the lime juice and stir.
2. Puree with an immersion blender. Add additional boiling water to the soup, if it needs to be thinned. I like mine pretty thick. 🙂
3. Add the cream and milk mixture, blend again and taste for salt, pepper and lime.
4. Pour the soup into individual bowls and top with fresh or dry parsley, sour cream (optional) grated cheddar cheese (optional), bacon and green onions and croutons (optional)
5. Serve with bread and Caesar salad or salad of your choice, and ENJOY!

Watch the Video : How To Make Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

How to Store Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup

Once the soup has completely cooled, you can store it in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. I don’t freeze soup because, we pretty much scarf it down by day 2 1/2. LOL. If you have leftover bacon, cheese or green onion, store them separately from the soup, in their own containers. You can reheat the soup in a pot on the stove, and the bacon in the microwave.

In Conclusion

Roasted Butternut Squash & Bacon Soup is fairly easy and doesn’t take too much time to make. It’s a creamy, rich, super-tasty and filling bowl of comfort, that warms you right up on a cold day. If you’re a fan of bacon, this bowl of goodness is sure to make you smile. For those of you that do make the soup, drop me a comment, and let me know what you think. And tag me at https://www.facebook.com/georgiaspyra/or https://www.instagram.com/delish_soups_by_georgia_spyra/ with your photos. I’d love to see your creations.

Enjoy the rest of the winter, and what’s left of 2024. Hopefully we have brighter skies ahead in 2025.

Happy New Year Y’all,

Love, Georgia Spyra