Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy and delectable, this rich, velvety smooth soup is perfect when the weather is cold.
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 4 medium butternut squash, about 6 pounds
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 8 tbsp butter
- salt & pepper
- 4-5 strips bacon, cut in half
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- nutmeg, freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Cut butternut squash in half, lengthwise. Use a spoon and scoop out the seeds. Set the squash halves on a baking sheet, cut sides up.
- Pierce sweet potato several times with a fork and place on the baking sheet with the butternut squash.
- Place a pat of butter in the scopped out hollow of each butternut squash half.
- Season squash halves generously with salt and pepper.
- Drape two or three half strips of bacon over each of the butternut squash halves.
- Bake squash and sweet potato for 45-60 minutes or until soft.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool until safe to handle.
- Remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. Crumble and set aside.
- Use a large spoon to scoop the squash out of the squash skins into a bowl. Do the same with the sweet potato.
- In a large Dutch oven pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
- Cook onion in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper until soft and onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add thyme and bay leaf to the pot.
- Stir in the squash pulp, sweet potato pulp and chicken broth.
- Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Remove stockpot from heat. Fish out and discard the bay leaf.
- Using an immersion blender, carefully purée soup until it is smooth and creamy.
- Return stockpot to the stove, turn the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.
- Add freshly grated nutmeg.
- Cook until heated through. Thin soup with additional chicken broth or water if it seems too thick.
- Taste and season soup with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve each bowl of soup topped with some of the reserved crumbled bacon and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.