Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
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This easy roasted butternut squash soup is so silky smooth, so dreamy, and so creamy! The secret is roasting the butternut squash first!
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Have made this recipe 3x in the past 3 weeks! Everyone LOVES it. From my parents, to my 5 year old and 1 year old nieces. The goat cheese is amazing with it, it’s so savory and satisfying. It also couldn’t be any easier to make! Thank you for such an incredibly easy and delicious recipe, this is a staple in our house now!
Why you’ll love this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Dreamiest butternut squash soup. With its silky smooth texture, this is the only recipe you will need this fall (and winter) season for years to come.
- Smoky goodness. The secret to the recipe is roasting the butternut squash with bacon, onion, bell pepper, and garlic first. That way, you have that smoky, garlicky-bacon goodness built right into the soup.
- The garnishes are simply the best. A sprinkle of crumbled, crispy bacon, goat cheese, and fresh chives simply takes this soup to the next level. It’s truly just so much coziness in a single bowl.
How to make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Prep the butternut squash. Place the butternut squash, onion, bell pepper, and bacon on a greased baking sheet. Stir in the olive oil, garlic, salt, and peper, tossing until evenly coated. Pro tip: for a quick weeknight shortcut, use pre-cut butternut squash.
- Roast the butternut squash. Spread out the vegetables in a single layer, avoiding any overlap. Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender, stirring or flipping halfway through.
- Cook the bacon. Dice the raw bacon slices into small pieces and add to a hot Dutch oven over medium heat. Spread the bacon out in a single layer and cook, stirring often, until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Blend. Stir in the roasted butternut squash and thyme in the leftover bacon grease until fragrant. Then stir in the chicken stock, pureeing with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to a simmer until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Pro tip: if the soup is too thick, add a small splash of chicken stock.
- Serve. Serve warm, ladled into bowls and garnished with the crispy bacon, crumbled goat cheese, chopped fresh chives, or any other garnishes (see below) as desired.
Garnishes to add
- Crunchy: croutons, crumbled bacon, chopped nuts, or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Creamy: dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, drizzle of heavy cream, or swirl of full-fat coconut milk
- Herbs: chopped fresh chives, green onions, cilantro, or parsley
- Fruit: pomegranate seeds
- Cheese: crumbled goat cheese, crumbled blue cheese, or freshly grated Parmesan
what to serve with butternut squash soup
Tools For This Recipe
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute sweet potatoes for the butternut squash?
Absolutely! You can substitute about 3 pounds sweet potatoes.
How can I make this vegetarian?
You can omit the bacon and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
What if I don’t have an immersion blender?
A countertop blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec) or food processor should do the trick! When using a countertop blender, cool the soup slightly and blend in batches.
What toppings can I add?
Toasted pumpkin seeds, fried sage leaves, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), heavy cream, or blue cheese crumbles are all great options!
Is butternut squash soup freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the garnishes in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop, adding fresh garnishes just before serving.
Can I make butternut squash soup in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely! Click here for a favorited Instant Pot version.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
This easy roasted butternut squash soup is so silky smooth, so dreamy, and so creamy! The secret is roasting the butternut squash first!
Video
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
for the roasted butternut squash
- 1 butternut squash, about 3 pounds, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch chunks
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the roasted butternut squash and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken stock and puree with an immersion blender.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, goat cheese and chives, if desired.
for the roasted butternut squash
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place butternut squash, onion, bell pepper and bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
- Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is tender, stirring at halftime.*
Equipment
Notes
- Grab pre-cut squash. To cut down on prep time even more, use pre-cut butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
- Roast the butternut squash. Roasting the butternut squash beforehand will add more rich and caramelized flavors all around.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Blending is key. With the help of an immersion blender or a countertop blender, the soup will yield an even creamier, smoother consistency.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of chives or some crispy bacon will certainly take your soup to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
- Mix it up. Use sweet potato in place of butternut squash, or a blend of both.
- Freeze without the garnishes. Butternut squash soup can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, freezing in single-serving sizes (for easy thawing) and reheating gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this and it was amazingly delicious! The best butternut squash soup I have ever had by far!! Perfection, especially with the garnishes.
I add carrot and celery. Trying Grape seed oil this time. Twice the onion and twice the garlic. No bell pepper, wife doesn’t like it.
This is my absolute favorite soup. I make it so often, I felt I had to leave a review. I like to chop up a jalapeño to give it some extra kick! Just roast it along with the other veggies and bacon. I sometimes add a half cup of cream at the end if I have some, but it’s not truly needed. Love ALL the damn delicious recipes!
It’s my favorite comfort soup, the only thing I do different is make the bacon separate.
My wife’s favorite soup, and I always end up using double the amount of chicken stock and add about a half of cup of heavy cream to get the best consistency.
Absolutely delicious soup. This really is the best butternut squash soup recipe I’ve tried. Sweet, salty, comforting! The red pepper really adds to the flavour and a deeper colour, love it!
Delicious soup. The bacon makes it.
Tip: My toddler dumped in some cinnamon when I was almost done with the soup, and it actually ended up being a pretty good addition.
Hi there – we have a giant tub of red lentils. I’m wondering if we can add some to this recipe? If yes, how much do you think? THANKS!
Look like a great recipe, can’t wait to try this weekend!
One question – is it a total of 8 piece of bacon, 4 for the roasting and soup mixture and then 4 more cooked and diced and sprinkled on top? Or is it the same 4 pieces taken from the oven after roasting and then cooked, diced and sprinkled. Believe me, I’m all about more bacon but want to get it right on my first try.
Thanks in advance!
I had the same question!
It is 4 slices of bacon for the soup and 4 addition slices for the garnish
Have made this recipe 3x in the past 3 weeks! Everyone LOVES it. From my parents, to my 5 year old and 1 year old nieces. The goat cheese is amazing with it, it’s so savory and satisfying. It also couldn’t be any easier to make! Thank you for such an incredibly easy and delicious recipe, this is a staple in our house now!
I made this recipe tonight and it was a hit! The flavors are so rich and the consistency was perfect for a cold night like tonight. Thank you so much! I will definitely make this again… and again!
Making it as I type…but no goat cheese! How would cream cheese do? Don’t want to open a can of coconut milk…have whole cream????
Awesome. Didn’t have goat cheese on hand so just used crumbled bacon. Will definitely use goat cheese next time and might try fresh rosemary instead of thyme. Cant wait to make for my party next week. Yum, yum.
My sister sent me this. Amazing! The goat cheese really makes a difference, but the soup is delicious even without any garnish! Thank you for a new staple in my house.
Made this on the weekend and omg it’s delicious (damn delicious ). I forgot I was supposed to put the raw bacon slices on the squash to roast together so I just blended in some of the cooked bacon and it’s still yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipes chungah!
I make this all the time, thank you. I had a few roasted pepitas in my pantry, and they make a good topping too!
Wonderful Recipe! It was a big hit with the family, and I will definitely be making it again soon!
Wow! This is amazing soup and so easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
I love this soup! I make it often in the fall and it was a special request at Thanksgiving last year!!
It’s the best! Happy to hear it made it on your Thanksgiving list!
I have been doing this soup now for 2 years and it’s the best squash soup ever. My two grandsons love this soup and I double the recipe so they can take to school for lunch. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing.