Roasted butternut squash soup with bacon

5 from 1 vote

Roasted butternut squash soup with bacon

Butternut squash, onions, and bacon are roasted together on a sheet pan, then blended smooth in a soup pot. It's quick, easy, and very flavorful thanks to the Cajun spices.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Servings: 1.5-cup bowls

Calories: 443kcal

Ingredients

FOR ROASTING

2 medium butternut squash (about 4.5 pounds total, or 3.5-4 pounds precut)
1 yellow onion
6 ounces bacon
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt

FINISHING THE SOUP

5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chile oil optional

Instructions

PREPARE INGREDIENTS

Preheat the oven to 400℉
Peel butternut squash and cut into rough 1-inch cubes. Cut the onion in half, then into quarters so they are a similar size to the butternut squash cubes.

ROAST

Place butternut squash and onions on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and spices. Then lay bacon over the top.
Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and bacon is done to your liking. If the bacon is done early, simply remove it and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate. If it needs to cook longer than the vegetables, return to over after removing the veggies.

BLEND SOUP

Once vegetables are tender, they need to be pureed with stock.
- If using a blender: add ¼ of vegetables with 1 cup of stock and blend, then transfer to a soup pot. Repeat in batches until all soup is pureed and added to the soup pot. Add more stock to soup pot to thin to desired consistency. *Be careful with hot soup in a blender, cover with a towel to hold the lid down, and never over-fill.
- If using an immersion blender: add all vegetables to soup pot along with 3-4 cups of stock. Blend! Add more stock until you reach the desired consistency.

SEASON TO TASTE

Taste soup, then add in more paprika, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it's to your liking. Add salt to taste.
Top with a chile oil if desired. Serve with crumbled bacon.

Notes

Butternut squash: I use fresh butternut squash every time I make this, but that's because I grow my own. Pre-cut butternut squash will also work just fine. The chunks might be larger so they might have to roast longer. Keep an eye on them AND the bacon.

Use fresh paprika: the main flavor in this soup is paprika, giving it a smoky and slightly sweet flavor. If your bottle is old, the flavor won't be as pronounced.

Nutrition: it is calculated with 6 ounces of bacon, which is about 8 slices. Each bowl would get a generous 2 slices crumbled in, which accounts for 177 calories. Use less (or more) as desired. The calories are calculated based on a 1.5 cup bowl (most soups are calculated based on a small 1-cup bowl).

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