Butternut Squash Soup with Apple & Bacon

by Jill Hough

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Smoky bacon, herby sage, and sweet apple give this squash soup layers of flavor.Serves six to seven.Yields about 6-1/2 to 7 cups.

8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
2-1/2 lb. butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (to yield about 6 cups)
1 small Granny Smith or other tart-sweet apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (to yield about 1 cup)
1-1/2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 txp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken or vegetable broth

In a 5-quart or larger stockpot set over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Increase heat to medium high. Add the squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes (resist the urge to stir it too often or it won’t brown). Stir in the apple, sage, salt, and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes (you’ll see more browning occur on the bottom of the pot than on the vegetables). Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool somewhat.

Add about half the bacon to the soup and purée, using a stand or immersion blender (you’ll need to work in batches if using a stand blender). Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with the remaining bacon.

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 74, pp. 67

November 1, 2005

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by Kathleen_G, 2/16/2009Yummy, definitely a do-over. Browning was a challenge, doing it in matches would be better. We used maple bacon and it was very good, but removed all the bacon before adding the other ingredients and only added in the requested bacon at the puree stage. There wasn't extra greasiness.

by hcspoon, 1/4/2009I've made this twice now and it's a favorite with the DH. The second time around I poured out all of the bacon grease from the pan except for a tablespoon. That reduced the fat content a bit and toned down the bacon flavor a little bit. I added some canola oil to replace the grease and browned the butternut squash in batches so they would all brown nicely. Other than that, I followed the rest of the recipe.

by JuliaGoolia, 12/28/2008So delicious! I will definitely make this again. Made two batches for Christmas dinner and it was quite a hit.

by anachman, 12/3/2008

by Jason123, 12/1/2008This is a fabulous and impressive soup. Every time I make it there are raves. Depending on the starchiness of the squash, it sometimes needs a little more chicken broth. Really delicious and easy to make.

by jng000, 11/30/2008I enjoyed this soup. It was a nice change of pace from the average soup and the bacon gave a good textural contrast.

by ClaudiaL, 10/3/2008Yummy and easy but I thought it needed an extra kick. I added a small amount of ground cumin and coriander at the last step (reheating the soup).

by rbasey, 3/16/2008Easy and absolutely delicious. Add a little more chicken broth if you want a looser soup.

by chefc, 11/20/2007I used only the meaty parts of a no-nitrate bacon. I then added some olive oil before putting in the cubed squash. I also put all the bacon in the soup before putting my immersion blender to it. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I sent the recipe to my sister and father telling them this was possibly the best soup I've ever eaten.

by LOcook, 11/10/2007SO good!

by kathymcmo, 11/3/2007I dunno, this came out a little too heavy on the bacon flavor, which seemed to overpower the squash, sage and apple flavors. Might work better with fewer than 8 slices of bacon.