Roasted Butternut Bacon Soup

• Gluten free

• Meat

  • 4 strips Bacon, thick cut smoky

• Produce

  • 1 Bell pepper, large yellow or orange
  • 1 Butternut squash, large
  • 2 medium cloves Garlic
  • 1 Golden apple, large
  • 1 Onion, large
  • 1 tbsp Thyme, fresh leaves
  • 1 Thyme, fresh leaves

• Canned Goods

  • 4 cups Chicken broth, low-sodium

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 Black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Curry powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 2 tsp Olive oil, Extra Virgin

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/2 tsp Cumin

• Dairy

  • 1 Feta cheese
  • 3 tbsp Half & half

Found on thecafesucrefarine.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large butternut squash, mine was 3.5 pounds!
• 4 strips thick cut, smoky bacon*, cut in half lengthwise and then cut in small dice
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 large golden apple**, cored and cut into chunks - dont worry about peeling it
• 1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 3-4 tablespoons half & half, optional
• freshly ground black pepper
• crumbled Feta cheese, for garnish
• fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil.
• Place whole butternut squash in microwave and cook on high power for 2 minutes*. Remove from microwave (using a hot pad or clean kitchen towel) and place on a large cutting board. Cut a small slice off the stem end then slice squash in half horizontally. I like to cut about halfway to the center from the stem end, then turn squash around and cut to the center from the wider end.
• Drizzle olive oil on sheet pan. Rub oil with your hands to coat foil, then place halved squash on foil (cut side down) and rub skin with your oiled hands. Place pan in oven and roast 40-45 minutes, until squash is very tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Set aside to cool, then scoop out seeds and discard. Scoop out squash and set aside.
• While squash is roasting, cook bacon over medium heat in a medium large dutch oven until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• You should have about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan. If it’s more, discard anything above 2 tablespoons.
• Continuing with medium heat, add onions, apple, peppers, garlic cloves, cumin, curry and cinnamon to bacon fat. Cook for 8-10 minutes until veggies are softened and onions translucent.
• Add chicken stock and roasted squash. Cook, covered (with lid slightly vented) for 15-20 minutes or until veggies are very soft and tender. Remove from heat, add fresh thyme and puree with and immersion (stick) blender or a regular blender. If using a regular blender, allow to soup to cool for awhile before blending to prevent a messy explosion (caused by steam building up in the blender container). Also, if using a regular blender, leave blender cap off and cover opening with a small kitchen funnel or a clean kitchen towel while blending.
• If desired add a few tablespoons of half and half. It’s really good without the half and half, but it does add a creaminess and also thins it out a bit. Taste and add more salt, if needed and a generous grind of fresh pepper.
• Serve in pretty bowls, garnished with a spoonful of crumbled Feta cheese, a sprinkle of the reserved bacon and fresh thyme leaves.