Butternut Squash and Red Bell Pepper Soup

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.  

I couldn't even close my pantry door because any time I tried to, Sunny's fat butt got in the way and she'd make this sad lil grunt but refused to look up or move.

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.