Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
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THE BEST and easiest butternut squash soup ever! Silky smooth and so so creamy. Perfect for Fall!
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This is by far the dreamiest butternut squash soup there ever was. With its silky smooth texture, this is the only recipe you will need this Fall (and winter) season for years to come.
The secret here is the roasting of the butternut squash alongside some bacon, onion, bell pepper and garlic. That way, you have that smoky, garlicky-bacon goodness built right into the soup, leaving no stone unturned.
Just be sure to save some extra bacon for later (for those garnishes), taking this soup to the next level with the crumbled goat cheese and chives. It’s truly just so much coziness in a single bowl.
tips and tricks for success
- 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.
- 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.
- Blend, baby, blend. 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.
what to serve with butternut squash soup
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute about 3 pounds sweet potatoes.
You can omit the bacon and substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
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.
Toasted pumpkin seeds, fried sage leaves, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), heavy cream, or blue cheese crumbles are all great options!
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding garnishes when serving.
Absolutely! Here is our favorited Instant Pot version.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
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.*
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Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi, I’m making this now and your directions are confusing.
Under ingredients, it should read “8 slices of bacon – 4 roasted with the butternut squash and 4 for garnish” – I wasn’t sure if I was putting raw bacon in the oven with the squash.
Then you say put all the ingredients on the pan evenly, but add the garlic and olive oil to toss. This should be done before the veggies go on the cooking sheet, right?
It probably would be better to list all the ingredients, including the seasonings, and then break it down into 3 sections: Ingredients, For the Soup, and Toppings
Hope this helps!
Yes, you are putting raw bacon in the oven with the squash – why dirty another pan? The addition of olive oil and garlic should not be done before the veggies go on the baking sheet. You want to coat the vegetables with olive oil. Does that make sense?
I just made this for first time. Felt it needed a little “something” flavor-wise when done, so added the following:
1 T butter
2 T half & half
1/4 tsp ginger
1 & 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
*all above were approximate
These additions made it so much more flavorful. SO yummy!
I made this about a month ago and it was absolutely delicious but I had some issues with the texture. I think it was just because my immersion blender wasn’t strong enough so I’m going to try it again with my blender. I also wanted to ask about the 3lb squash vs 3lb of cut up squash because I’m still confused by it. If I were to go to the store and purchase 3lbs of squash already prepared would I use the whole amount? Obviously the more squash I use the thicker it will be. When you make this soup yourself, is it a fairly thick soup as well?
The recipe calls for 3 lb of butternut squash. If you purchase 3 lb precut squash, you may want to use less. You can also make the soup as thick or as thin as you prefer – it all depends on personal preference.
Would I be able to make this then transfer to a crockpot to keep warm for an hour or so before serving?
Yes, you should be able to. But as always, please use your best judgement when making modifications.
Why did I wait so long to try this I don’t know. Flavor is amazing. Your recipe is spot on!!
YUM! This soup looks so good – comforting and delicious ♥
Sounds so delicious! Do you think I could use frozen butternut squash?
I recommend using fresh!
Another delicious recipe! I made this tonight and will be making it again and again. Thanks for always being my go-to when I want to try something new.
Tried this recipe this weekend for a cold and rainy footbal sunday! It was SOO easy and such a hit! I ended up need two sheet pans for the roasting part in the beginning but that could just be from overestimating all of my ingredients. I also let the squash/pepper/onion/ bacon mixture steep in the chicken broth for about 20 minutes post-removing from the oven and pre-blending. I added about a 1/4 cup of cream to the mix while blending with my immersion blender. The other minor tweaks I made were all in relation to added spice (nutmeg) and things along those lines! All in all this was such a great recipe! I have been really relying on your recipes lately because you just cannot go wrong with whatever dish you pick to make!
is there a good substitute for red pepper? i completely blanked in picking one up and I’m ready to make it tonight!
You can omit if you need to!
I made this the other day on a whim because it was a cold and rainy night. It was absolutely delicious!! My boyfriend helped himself to 3 bowls, and I had a big old bowl for myself. I made it exactly as the directions called for, even down to the toppings you used. It was perfect! ate it for lunch the next day and it was still amazing! Thank you! this is going to be a new staple in my house!
It’s Thanksgiving here in Canada and I just made this soup as a starter. Delicious! I think my onion bits didn’t cook all the way when roasting so it left the soup with a strong aftertaste. To tone it down I added pure maple syrup. Did the trick. Next time I’ll dice them smaller. And there will be a next time! Thanks for another great recipe.
This soup is “Damn Delicious”! My husband was hesitant initially, but has requested I make it again.
Wow! I just made this for the first time and my whole family couldn’t stop going for seconds. Perfect comfort food for autumn.
About how many people do you think this recipe would serve? I’m excited to make it for my moms luncheon.
This yields about 4-6 servings.
Hi Chungah, Do you use an app to calculate the nutrition facts that you post? I am needing to stay low on salt and I have used myfitnesspal.com but wondered if you had something better to recommend. Thanks, Kit
Hi Kit, we have our nutritionist, Pam Gibson, who calculates the nutrition facts and advises on the recipes. But I’m sure myfitnesspal works great unless you want to hire a nutritionist yourself! Pam’s bio can also be viewed on the website under “Our Team”.
Such a great recipe and thanks for putting the pictures into your emails! I appreciate that!
So recipe calls for a total of 8 slices of bacon? 4 to be roasted and blended into soup and 4 cooked on stove top for garnish?
Yes!
I just made this soup and WOW I LOVE it. I used feta cheese. I’ve never roasted vegetables before and I could’ve eaten them right out of the oven.
This soup is amazing!
I use feta in place of goat cheese and Hot Portuguese Linguesa in place of bacon.
Devine! My whole family loves it.
The smoky linguesa paired with the sharpness of feta and the sweetness of the butternut makes this soup worthy of becoming a household favorite.