Fall is in the air and that means soup time! We are finally getting a little nip to the air in the evenings! I wondered if it was ever going to happen this year with all the high temperatures we have had. Would we just skip Fall and roll into Winter? Luckily no, so soup is on!
Butternut Squash not only reminds me of Fall but somehow opens the door to Thanksgiving. Guess it’s that pumpkin kind of thing. Soup is supposed to be comforting and this one surely is. Each spoonful reveals layers of flavor. You are aware of the creaminess of the squash first, then the smokey flavors from the bacon and smoked paprika catch your attention and the subtle heat from the chipotle cream pulls it all together for a very satisfying soup! Umm, umm, good! Feeling thankful!
If you’d like to make this a vegetarian soup, then skip the bacon step and substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil for sauteing the vegetables. Soups on the table that much faster!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, add cubed squash, spices, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. You are flavoring the squash but at the same time you are flavoring the soup! A two-fer!
Toss the cubed squash in the spices making sure to share with all the little cubes.
Arrange squash on a baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. About now, my husband comes into the kitchen and asks, “What are you making? It smells so good!”
In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, fry the bacon strips. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel.
In the same pot, add the onion, celery, carrot and season with a pinch of salt and sauté vegetables until just tender for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Lovely little browned bits from the bacon add so much flavor!
Add the butternut squash to the pot and stir. Looks like Fall to me!
Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup until smooth with a few random chucks of vegetables remaining for texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour the soup into a blender, in small batches, and blend. Be so very careful when blending hot soups. Only fill the blender half way full and put the lid on. Or treat yourself to an immersion blender and life will be so much easier!
Add the bacon into the soup and more of the remaining stock to create your desired consistency. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of chipotle adobo sauce and the yogurt. Season the chipotle cream with salt, to taste. This is a must have on top of the soup!! It brings all the flavors together.
Transfer the soup to bowls. Top each bowl of soup with a drizzle of chipotle cream and sprinkle of pepitas and serve. Swirl the chipotle cream into the soup and let all the flavors combine into one savor spoonful!
Tip: A chipotle chile is a smoked, dried jalapeno. They can be purchased dried, pickled or canned “in adobo” which is a sauce made with ground chiles, herbs, vinegar and spices. The sauce tends to be a little milder than the chipotle peppers but it still packs quite a punch! If you have Teflon coated taste buds and like a hotter cream sauce, then chop one of the chiles and add some to the chipotle cream. Taste before you chop!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large butternut squash, washed and cubed, about 2 pounds
- 4 slices of bacon, cut in lardons
- 1 medium onion, large dice
- 2 stalks celery, large dice
- 2 carrots, large dice
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4-5 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 teaspoon canned chipotle chiles in adobo, sauce only
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Pepitas, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add cubed squash, spices, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss to coat. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast until very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- In a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, fry the bacon strips. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel.
- In the same pot, add the onion, celery, carrot and season with a pinch of salt and sauté vegetables until just tender for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash to the pot and stir. Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup until smooth with a few random chucks of vegetables remaining for texture. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can pour the soup into a blender, in small batches, and blend. Be so very careful when blending hot soups. Only fill the blender half way full and put the lid on. Or treat yourself to an immersion blender and life will be so much easier!
- Add the bacon into the soup and more of the remaining stock to create your desired consistency. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon of chipotle adobo sauce and the yogurt. Season the chipotle cream with salt, to taste.
- Transfer the soup to bowls. Top each bowl of soup with a drizzle of chipotle cream and sprinkle of pepitas and serve. Swirl the chipotle cream into the soup and let all the flavors combine into one savor spoonful!
- Tip: A chipotle chile is a smoked, dried jalapeno. They can be purchased dried, pickled or canned "in adobo" which is a sauce made with ground chiles, herbs, vinegar and spices. The sauce tends to be a little milder than the chipotle peppers but it still packs quite a punch! If you have Teflon coated taste buds and like a hotter cream sauce, then chop one of the chiles and add some to the chipotle cream. Taste before you chop!
Oh my goodness! This was amazing. My son, Ian, and I both agree that the season profile is perfect. The roasted and seasoned butternut squash was excellent all by itself, but making the soup with the bacon and chipotle cream was fantastic!
*Follow Up – I made this again (sort of) except I stopped at the roasting stage and just served the seasoned, roasted squash with a drizzle of chipotle cream on it and it was fantastic. For sure it’s my new favorite squash recipe, it’s warm and comforting – perfect for fall and winter.
Donna ~ I love that you morphed one recipe into another for even more enjoyment! Interesting that this recipe inspired you to do that because another recipe inspired me to make the soup. Check out this salad, I think you’ll enjoy it too! Roasted Butternut Squash Salad