This is a recent recipe I tried out as part of my butternut squash obsession (see Butternut, Ginger, and Shallots Soup; Bacon, Butternut, and Kale Penne; and Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash). I have a bunch of old recipes to post, so I try to intermix them with the new but I wanted to post all the butternut squash ones now since it fits with the season.
Anyways, I got miserably sick recently and the thought of eating any solid food with my scratchy throat just didn't appeal to me. I came across this recipe that was originally for a pumpkin soup, but I modified it for use with butternut squash. Now having made it, I can see how this would be really yummy with pumpkin. I'll definitely have to try it out next fall with pumpkin!
Warning: the use of bacon in the toppings means that if you have any dogs they will be lurking in the kitchen looking as pathetic as possible.
Servings: 6 (but if you're eating this as a meal, more like 3)
Ingredients:
Soup
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 cups red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Topping
1 French roll, toasted and crumbled
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine 3 cups butternut squash, 2 1/2 cups red bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups sweet potato, 1/4 cup green onions, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsps olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1/8 tsp salt. Toss well until all ingredients are mixed. Or you can be lazy like me and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, throw all the ingredients on there and then mix it around by hand. This way you don't need to wash an extra bowl afterwards.
- Spread mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
- Combine vegetables mixture, 5 cups chicken broth, and 1/4 tsp salt in a large pot.
- Bring pot to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- While pot is simmering, toast 1 French roll (or a piece of French baguette) and 3 tbsps sliced almonds.
- Crumble the toasted bread, almonds, 1/4 cup parsley, and 4 slices of cooked and crumbled turkey bacon.
- Once pot of soup has finished simmering, blend the soup either by doing it in pieces in a blender or using a hand blender. Blend until smooth.
- When ready to serve, pour soup, top with bacon mixture and salt and season to taste. Enjoy!
- Oh and I forgot the last part - feed extra bacon pieces to your sad, begging dogs!
This is a great creamy soup that doesn't use any dairy to get its creaminess. You can vary the toppings depending on your preferences. Like using rosemary, instead of parsley, or doing a cheesy topping instead. Since I'm a bacon fiend, this was a natural choice for me. If I had had yummier bread on hand I would've used that, but I always have French rolls in the kitchen (or in the freezer). You can definitely taste all the components of the soup, so if you're not a sweet potato, red bell pepper, or butternut squash fan, then you may want to tweak it according to your tastes.
I think I have Sunny and Rosy well trained by now that they know if they stand in certain spots when I make weird noises and point they'll get treats eventually. Sometimes they are stubborn but today they did a pretty good job of posing relatively close to the food!
Inspired by My Recipes.
I love how gently Rosy is taking her treat! Great recipe I'll have to try!
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