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.*
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Amazing!! I didn’t have chicken stock so just used water and instead of olive oil used bacon grease leftover from morning’s bacon. OMG!! It carmelized so beautifully that I almost just at the veggies alone. Soooo delicious!!!
This recipe was amazing! I must admit I am not really a fan of butternut squash soup, but this recipe was absolutely delicious!
Made this tonight and hubby gave it 5 out of 5 stars (which is high praise, especially for soup!). Our 4-year-old and I both loved it too. My only change was to only purée half for a chunkier soup. Hearty, flavorful, so good – will definitely be making again – thanks!
I have made this recipe a few times, and I can say that it is definitely a favourite. The only thing I omitted was the peppers due to an allergy, which I think kept the flavours very earthy and hearty, and I used a whole box of chicken stock for a double batch to keep it loose, but flavourful. However, the chives as garnish help perk it up and keep it tasting perfectly fresh The bacon adds a rich smokiness (the more the better), and the goat cheese melts so decadently, which adds another dimension of delicate flavour. Additionally, the thyme is just the perfect pairing with the sweet butternut. A really lovely recipe.
Just made butternut squash soup for the first time with this recipe = AWESOME!!!! Thank you!!!!
I’m thinking of making this as a roast instead of a soup — basically season everything (including all the bacon, diced) before putting it in the oven, sprinkle goat cheese and chives/scallions on it when it’s done, and voila! No stock or blending or stove cooking (I’m lazy!). Has anyone tried this? Do you think it would be good?
Sounds amazing!
Update: I tried it. It WAS amazing!!!! I completely left out the oil because the bacon grease fell onto the veggies while baking, and I sprinkled with feta. Oh my freaking god it’s so good! 😀
I love this! just made it but I roasted fresh thyme with the veggies and added paprika and crushed red pepper to the final step after immersion! we like a little warmth! thanks for the pin! Delish for sure!
I made this soup today minus the goat cheese and it was delicious. The family loved it also. I used a full 4 cups of chicken broth because it was so thick. Also subbed red pepper with a yellow one cause that’s what I had on hand. I’ll be making this again, only I’ll find already peeled and cut butternut squash.
Do you just roast the diced bacon with the butternut squash, then pick all of the bacon out to fry it in the pan after? Or do you use an additional four slices of diced bacon and fry it in the pan just for the garnish on top?
The additional four slices of bacon in step #4 are used as a garnish.
Great recipe! Delicious! I will use a smaller onion next time. It sort of overpowered all these wonderful flavors. Goat cheese wad a nice touch.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made this last night and could not believe how delicious! I really wasn’t sure the goat cheese would go with the soup but it really does. I roasted about half a cup of canellini beans along with the other veggies just because I had them on hand and they’re great in there – probably add a bit of richness to the soup. I also added some red pepper flakes as the soup was finishing up simmering. Absolutely delicious, and absolutely perfect for a rainy first-week-of-fall in Boston! Thanks again!
This looks delicious! Was wondering if this soup would freeze well? I was thinking of bringing to a friend with new baby.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I freeze this soup ALL THE TIME. My cousin brought it to a family thing in October and I’ve made it at least 6 times since then. I freeze them in single-serve ziplock freezer bags (after the soup is cooled). You can then freeze them flat and stacked on top of each other. Just let it thaw a bit before you put it in a pan to reheat. It’s easier to come out of the freezer bags if it’s just barely thawed and you can break it into a few mostly-frozen chunks. 🙂 One caveat…I don’t use the goat cheese (I eat paleo) so I’m not sure how it would freeze with the cheese.
This was honestly the most delicious soup I have ever made! I did a double batch instead of a single one and I still don’t have enough! A few tweaks I made because of personal preference: I omitted the thyme, seasoned the veggies/bacon with onion powder and garlic powder and used a food processor instead of the immersion blender and sour cream instead of goat cheese. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made this and must say it was delicious! I also videotaped myself preparing it and hope some of you get some help from it….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf2Ta2gy3J4 .
So the isnructions say to lay the bacon out on the baking sheet with the squash etc, but then two steps later it says to cook that bacon in a skillet. Do you cook the bacon twice?
Sarah, the recipe lists 4 slices bacon for the soup, which is roasted with the butternut squash, and an additional 4 slices bacon for the topping, which is cooked in a skillet.
I used this recipe as a base tonight. Instead of bacon, I used smoked turkey sausage (browned in the skillet), added mushrooms and one cup of cooked wild rice. It was so delicious. I’m sure it’s great with the bacon, but my husband would certainly complain that it’s not hearty enough (men!). Love your recipes!
This soup is absolutely the best butternut squash soup EVER! Made it for the second time a couple of nights ago, and three adults and a toddler were ‘mmmmming’ through every bite! I omitted the vegetable roasting by accident while rushing to get the squash in the oven during a few free minutes while my 3-month-old granddaughter was content on her own. It was nevertheless absolutely delicious, and is now one of our top 5 soups! Thank you!!!
Gul Dang! It’s soo so good. Thank you!
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Added a side of brie, carmelized onion and bacon panini and together it was tasty!
This soup is amazing!!!!!!! My husband is not a big fan of soups but he loved it!!! We also made it for our guests whom we invited at our house during Christmas holidays and I got a 10 points for it!!!! 🙂 Thanks a lot!!!!