butternut squash soup

This soup is easy and quick to make. It is great for the fall, and it would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal

I can't help it... here's another soup recipe. I just really love making soup, especially soup with toppings. This soup is topped with bacon (my favorite!).

Try to find an uncured bacon, free of nitrates and nitrites. Whole Foods makes a really good uncured, reduced sodium center-cut bacon. I like to use center-cut instead of turkey bacon because center-cut is real pork bacon; it just has less fat.

If you are not a bacon fan or want this soup to be vegetarian-friendly, you can substitute olive oil for the bacon grease and chopped pecans for the topping. Also, you can make this dairy-free and gluten free by using extra broth instead of milk and cornstarch instead of wheat flour.

I have tried all these versions with great success. The recipe written is my personal favorite but all the options are tasty 🙂

[clickToTweet tweet="This soup is easy and quick to make. It is great for the fall, and it would be a perfect starter for your #Thanksgiving meal" quote="This soup is easy and quick to make. It is great for the fall, and it would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal"]

This soup is easy and quick to make. It is great for the fall, and it would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal.

Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is easy and quick to make. It is great for the fall, and it would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Meme

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 slices center-cut bacon or see notes
• ▢ 2 medium onions chopped
• ▢ 3 large carrots chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• ▢ 15 ounce can butternut squash puree
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ dash of hot sauce if desired
• ▢ 1 tablespoon flour or 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 cup 2% milk divided

Instructions

• In a medium pot, heat cook the chopped bacon over medium heat. Cook until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon from the pot and set aside to drain. Leave remaining bacon grease in the pot to saute vegetables. (Should be about one tablespoon of bacon grease)
• Sauté onions and carrots in the bacon grease (or replace with oil) for 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add broth, squash, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove soup from heat and blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Whisk 1/2 cup milk and flour (or cornstarch) together. Slowly add to soup while stirring. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk, stirring constantly.
• Turn soup back on and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5-10 more minutes. Turn off soup. Top with crumbled bacon or chopped pecans. Enjoy!

Notes

*To make without bacon, omit the first step and use 1 tablespoon of oil (like olive oil).

*To make vegetarian: Substitute bacon for pecans. Sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons of chopped toasted pecans. Use vegetable broth for the liquid, and use oil to saute vegetables.

*To make gluten-free, use cornstarch.

*To make dairy-free, use more broth in place of milk.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

This recipe is shared on Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight: Bacon-fest! 

Meme

This post was originally published November 15, 2011. This recipe and photos have been updated.

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