Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon & Maple Cream

Fall is the perfect time of year to experiment with your soups. This recipe is inspired by Jet Tila and was a big hit with our family! The butternut squash pairs so well with carrots and Granny Smith apples, making it perfectly balanced between sweet and tart. Topping it with bacon and a maple sour cream is the perfect touch for a nice fall, fireside lunch!

Ingredients:

• Dutch Oven (or a heavy large pot)

• 2-3 slices of thick sliced bacon

• 2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

• 2 Sprigs of Thyme (plus a little extra to garnish with)

• 1 bay leaf

• 18 oz of Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, and roughly diced (I took about 1/2 of a squash for my recipe)

• 4 oz of Carrot, roughly diced

• 1/2 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, cored, and roughly diced

• 3 cups of Chicken Stock (homemade or store bought is fine!)

• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

• 1 Tsp Salt

• 1/3 Tsp Black Pepper

Maple Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup Half & Half

• 3 Tsp Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt is a good substitute)

• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (try and go with a pure maple syrup if you have it)

• Pinch of Salt

Recipe:

1. Heat your Dutch Oven on medium heat. I've included one similar to mine linked here. Lay your bacon in the pot and cook until rendered and crispy. Remove bacon, crumble, and save for later.

2. In the same pot, add the garlic, thyme, & bay leaf into the bacon fat and cook for about 1 minute (until fragrant.) Make sure to stir and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan.

3. Add the squash, apple, and carrot and cook for another minute, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan.

4. Increase the heat to a medium-high temperature and add the chicken stock. Deglaze the pan again by scraping the bottom. Bring the stock to a boil, reduce to a simmer and leave uncovered for about 30 minutes.

5. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves (it is ok if the thyme leaves fell off in the soup.) Transfer the soup to a blender in 2-3 batches and puree. (Take caution when transferring and pureeing the soup as it will be very hot! Let it cool for 5 minutes or so & it also helps to put a towel over the blender to ensure you don't get burned.) Pour the puree into a large bowl until the entire soup is pureed.

6. Add the pureed soup into the Dutch oven again, add in the apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper (to taste), and stir.

7. Make the maple sour cream in a small bowl by whisking the half & half, sour cream, and maple syrup together until it is smooth and creamy. Mix in a pinch of salt.

8. When you are ready to eat the soup drizzle on a spoonful of the sour cream mixture and a few pieces of crumbled bacon and enjoy!

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Tip: If your squash is very difficult to cut, score the squash with a few slices and place it in the oven at 350 F for about 5-10 minutes or until it softens up. You can also microwave it for 3-5 minutes.

*This soup can be topped with any toppings of your choosing. Try caraway seeds, toasted pecans, homemade croutons, chives, or roasted pumpkin seeds!

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