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
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This looks really good. I’m planning on making it tonight but wondered if I can use my vitamix instead of an immersion blender for the last few steps ?
Yes, absolutely.
Butternut squash soup has always seemed too sweet to me and almost like dessert when apples or pears are added.
This version, as I suspected, was more savoury and absolutely delicious. How can it miss with bacon as an ingredient.
The 7 other guests at my table last night were in complete agreement. Every bowl was scraped clean.
It did not suffer at all from being made the day before.
Try it, you will like it.
My hubby dislikes peppers, can you tell it is in there? I love adding extras to pump up nutrition, but don’t want to cause discord. I didn’t see any comments that mentioned the pepper taste. Would it be better to sub it with something else?
Oh, this looks oh so good that I can hardly wait to pick up some goat cheese today!
The pepper taste is very mild, but you can always omit as needed to caution on the safe side.
I disagree. I found the pepper taste overwhelming. It was more like red pepper soup than butternut squash.
I found the pepper flavor very mild, serving the purpose of making the soup more complex. Try it and check for yourself.
Such an AMAZING soup! Made it last week and couldn’t resist to make it again today!
an ode to butternut squash
the saddest vegetable known to man
i tapped him and he was hollow
wuld he provide for my soup needs
on the indside he was yellow
i opened him and he cr
i
e
d little tears
he was my young grocery
going to sweeeet grocery heaven
i roasted him w. rosemary
and he screamed ‘weee
eee
eez’ in the oven
i love butternut squash soup this time of year
Sounds, and looks wonderful. Have butternut squash just waiting for this. Have to leave out the red peppers since they and my stomach aren’t friends anymore. Save the clean up of the large skillet by cooking the bacon that goes on top of the soup in the Dutch oven while the squash mixture is in the oven. Put bacon on paper towels and pour left over bacon fat into jar with lid. I use it in making cornbread.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing!!
This is by far the most AMAZING butternut squash soup ever. I made it last fall and winter multiple times because it just that good. Going home and making it tonight as well :).
Just in case anyone is interested, I also add carrots and sweet potato and roast with the other veggies.. because there are more veggies you will likely need to add more stock as well.
OMG so good, I am drooling just thinking about it. Can’t wait till I am done work to make this tonight 🙂
This UNBELIEVABLY good!! I used Better Than Bouillon to make the broth. Applewood Bacon gave an earthy quality. I’m not a goat cheese fan, but sharp worked wonders to give a small zing to the smooth rustic yumminess.
How well does this soup keep? Would I be able to make it ahead of time and reheat for the same effect?
Yes, absolutely.
Just loved this soup, did not use the goats cheese but it was fabulous
Just made this and it was great. My squash was a little bigger, so I used 5 cloves garlic, 1 tsp. thyme, and extra bacon. I also added a little heavy cream, too, and used feta instead of the goat cheese. Delicious!
This soup was so delicious! Thank you so much!
i like this because i have not any tooth hhhhhhhhhh
Absolutely delish! Next time I will buy already cut squash. It took me over an hour to cut that butternut. I was nervous about the goat cheese but it was the perfect compliment to the sweetness. I used high quality turkey bacon and this was a HIT!!!
Help! I must be losing my mind. It calls for four pieces of bacon but says it should be roasted with the squash and fried for the topping. How many slices for each step??
Mindy, the recipe lists 4 slices bacon for the topping and 4 slices bacon for the soup.
I just have to say I’ve never made squash soup before and I made this recipe today and it was amazing!!! I will never use another recipe again. The bacon was an awesome touch. I also added a little cayenne pepper to give it a kick. Thanks so much!!
This sounds amazing! A cafe I used to live by made something like this, but included diced apples in the soup too.
this recipe was amazing! it was posted on our Facebook page. Can’t wait to make it again! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooking-Chicks/177365772461993
I’ve never left a recipe review – until now! I’m not sure what possessed me to make this as I had never eaten butternut squash, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve made it twice in the past few weeks. I am obsessed!