Bacon Butternut Squash Soup Food

BACON BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400º. On a baking sheet, drizzle squash with olive oil and rub all over until coated. Place a slice of butter in each and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Bake until squash is tender, 1 hour.
• About 10 minutes before squash is finished baking, start soup: In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes. Drain half the fat and reserve some bacon for garnish.
• Add onion and cook until softened, then stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant.
• Once cool enough to handle, scoop squash from skin and transfer to soup pot. Pour over chicken broth and season with more pepper. Simmer 15 minutes.
• Place an immersion blender into soup pot and blend until squash is smooth and no chunks remain. (Alternatively, you can transfer soup in batches to a blender.)
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with reserved bacon and more thyme.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLES AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place squash in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil; mix to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread squash into a single layer on a baking pan. Roast the squash in the preheated oven, turning once, until fork-tender and caramelized; 30 to 40 minutes.
• Place the bacon in a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.
• Place the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper in the Dutch oven; cook in reserved bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook another 1 minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; allow to reduce to about half its original volume. Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
• Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a blender, don't fill the blender more than half-way. Always remove the center lid piece of a stand blender when blending hot liquids so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some of the bacon pieces to serve.

BACON-INFUSED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Cook bacon slices in large pot until crisp.
• Remove bacon and drain.
• Reserve 2 tbsp drippings in pan.
• Crumble bacon and set aside.
• Saute onion and carrots in bacon drippings over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes (until onion is tender).
• Add celery and apple to pan and saute 5 minutes.
• And garlic and saute 1 minute.
• Add squash and chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Process mixture, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth.
• (Hot mixtures will erupt out of blender if too full- believe me I know).
• Return mixture to pot.
• Stir in lime juice and next 7 ingredients.
• Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until thickened.
• Top soup with crumbled bacon and garnish with sour cream and red pepper.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP SHOTS WITH CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place cut side down on baking dish; add 1/2 inch of water and bake until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, trim leeks, slit lengthwise and wash thoroughly.
• Rough chop the white and light green parts (save tough green tops for making stock).
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium low heat.
• Saute leeks for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then add curry powder.
• Scoop out squash flesh and add to pot; pour in chicken broth, ginger, maple syrup, and salt.
• Simmer 30 minutes.
• Puree the soup using an immersion blender, or a regular blender or food processor in batches.
• While soup is simmering, you can prepare the bacon.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a heavy skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon, in batches, until lightly browned, but not crisp; drain on paper toweling.
• Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper.
• Arrange bacon strips on a parchment or brown paper lined baking tray and coat with brown sugar mixture.
• Bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to brown paper to cool (will stick to paper towels).
• Reheat soup, if necessary, and serve in shot glasses with 1/2 slice of bacon standing up in it - or serve in bowls as a soup course with crumbled bacon.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in large saucepan on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon, reserving bacon drippings in pan; drain bacon on paper towels. Add onions and garlic to reserved bacon drippings; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender.
• Add broth, squash and sage; stir. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 20 min. or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally. Blend, in batches, in blender until smooth, returning each puréed batch to saucepan.
• Add cream cheese; cook 3 to 5 min. or until completely melted, stirring constantly with whisk. Serve topped with bacon.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLES AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large soup pot until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside to drain. Discard bacon grease, reserving 2 tablespoons in the pot. (Crumble bacon when cool.).
• Add onions and carrots to soup pot. Saute for approximately five minutes over medium heat until onions are soft. Add celery and apple and saute for another five minutes. Add garlic and saute very briefly, approximately one minute.
• Add squash and chicken broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat again and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes until carrots are tender.
• If you have an immersion blender, process the mixture in the pot until smooth. If not, CAREFULLY process the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return mixture to pot.
• Stir in lime juice. Add all remaining ingredients (except garnish) and 2 pieces of reserved crumbled bacon. Simmer for an additional ten minutes until thickened. (Be sure not to boil again as the cream will not be so lovely.).
• Garnish with remaining bacon, sour cream, and red pepper.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH PEARS AND BACON

Steps:

• Sauté bacon in a large stockpot until crisp; remove from pan, drain on paper towels and crumble. Remove all but 1 tbsp (15 mL) bacon grease from pot; add onion and sauté over medium heat until browned.
• Add broth, squash, pears and celery to pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor, purée mixture until smooth. Return back to pot and add herbs and bacon. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in half-and-half and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped fresh thyme.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH BACON AND CHEDDAR

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan with a lid, melt butter and cook onion over low low heat until translucent and sweet. About 30 minutes.
• Add chopped bacon, butternut squash and stock.
• Cook 30 minutes or until squash is tender.
• Add sage and salt and pepper to taste.
• Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
• Add cream, sour cream and cheese and heat through, stirring to melt cheese.
• Serve with toasted bread croutons, or crostini.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLE AND BACON

Steps:

• In a 5 qt or larger stockpot set over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 8-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Increase the heat to medium high. Add the squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4-6 minutes (resist the urge to stir too often or it won't brown).
• Stir in the apple, sage, salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes (you'll see more browning occur on the bottom of the pot than on the vegetables).
• Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6-8 minutes.
• Remove from heat & let cool somewhat.
• Add about half the bacon to the soup and puree, using a stand or immersion blender (you'll need to work in batches if using a stand blender).
• Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with the remaining bacon.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH SMOKY BACON *

Steps:

• 1. Toss squash and carrots with olive oil. Arrange in baking dish and roast uncovered in preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender.
• 2. In large soup pot, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon with slotted spoon and reserve for the soup garnish. Add onions to soup pot and sauté in bacon drippings over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.
• 3. Add roasted vegetables and chicken broth to soup pot and bring to a boil; remove from heat. Working in several small batches, blend soup in food processor or blender until smooth. Return to soup pot, bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.
• 4. Serve soup in large bowls garnished with crisp crumbled bacon.