(Recipe can be found on the site Damn Delicious here.)
Step by Step Instructions:
This healthy Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup will be on the table in no time. Here’s what you’ll need: Bacon (8 slices total), about 3 pounds of Butternut Squash cut into one-inch cubes (for details on how to cut a butternut squash click here), Dried Thyme, about 2 tablespoons of chopped Chives, 2 Garlic Cloves, 2 1/2 cups of Chicken Stock, 1 Onion diced into large pieces, Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper, 1 Red Bell Pepper diced into medium-sized pieces, and Goat Cheese (you’ll need about 1/4 cup of it crumbled for topping).
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure all of your veggies are prepped. Then mince your garlic. (I love this handy dandy garlic mincer.)
Pardon the blurry bacon picture, but I was so excited smelling it! You’ll get 4 slices and chop them. I kept them in pretty large pieces, but if yours are a little smaller, that’ll be okay too.
Place the squash, onions, red pepper, and bacon slices on the baking sheet.
Then drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste on the veggies.
Mix well (use your hands if you like!) so that the veggies are well coated. It was at this point that I felt like my baking sheet was overcrowded, so I split the mixture between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Pop them in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring about 10 minutes in.
Here they are halfway through. Just give them a good stir and continue baking them in the oven. Once you can smell them, you’re probably close. Mine took about 20 minutes total.
While the veggies roast, cook up 4 slices of bacon using your preferred method. In our house, we love the NuWave oven and how crispy it gets bacon.
When the bacon is finished, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to let them drain and cool. (Yes, there was an extra slice of bacon here … quality control and all.)
Here are the finished roasted veggies. I tested the squash with a paring knife and it was quite tender.
Transfer the roasted vegetables to a Dutch oven and add 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme. Heat the pot over medium heat.
Stir for 1-2 minutes or until you can really smell the thyme. Then season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Add the 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the pot.
Then place the immersion blender in the pot and puree. (Or transfer the soup at this point to a regular blender and puree in batches.)
Here is the soup totally pureed. Isn’t it just gorgeous with the yellow color and flecks of thyme and veggies and bacon? Serve right away and top with crumbled bacon, crumbled goat cheese, and chopped chives if you’d like … which you should, because the toppings were a perfect complement! Happy soup making!
- 1 Butternut Squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- 4 slices of Bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 slices Bacon, diced
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2½ cups Chicken Stock, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup crumbled Goat Cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped Chives
- Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.
- Prep all of your veggies.
- In one (or two) rimmed sheet pans, add the squash, red bell pepper, onion and bacon. Then add the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper and toss until everything is well coated.
- Roast the vegetables for 20-30 minutes, stirring them halfway through. You'll know they are done when the butternut squash is tender. (Just test it by piercing it with a knife, and if it is inserted easily, you're all set.)
- While the veggies roast, cook 4 slices of bacon. You can cook them in a non-stick skillet or use a NuWave oven like I did. When the bacon is cooked, let it cool on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium and add the dried thyme. Stir for about 1-2 minutes or until you can smell the thyme.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and the stock to the Dutch oven. Then use an immersion blender (or regular blender if you don't have a hand-held one) to puree the soup. Bring the soup up to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately and top with crumbled bacon (that you just cooked), crumbled goat cheese, and chopped fresh chives. Enjoy!
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