Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
THE BEST and easiest butternut squash soup ever! Silky smooth and so so creamy. Perfect for Fall!
Featured Comment
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is a great recipe as it stands, and yet I had to add a few more ingredients from another favorite (cuz that’s just me!)
I added chopped peeled apple, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, coconut milk, and a lot more bacon.
Perfecto!
I’ve been making soups for many years- and always in large quantities for sharing.
So far, everyone that received some asked for the recipe, except one person- she just wanted more soup without the cooking part;)
Thanks for this one
I’ve made thus many times and found it to be yummy just the way it is. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Can you freeze this soup?
This was exactly the recipe I was looking for. I did add a pinch of cumin and some additional chicken bullion but it’s a simple enough recipe that I felt I could experiment a little with it. Very pleased.
One of my all time favorite soups!!! Amazing!
Awesome cold weather soup!! A go to meal in the dead of wintet
First time ever making this kind of soup and I’d have to say…Wow it’s delicious! I realized I did not have the red pepper, so I did not put it in, but it was still amazing! Will be making again!
Wowzer! Delicious! I didnt have goat cheese so just sprinkled mozzarella on top. Definately making this again!!
I thought this soup was very good, although I thought the red bell pepper flavor dominated more than I would’ve liked for a soup where I expected butternut squash to really shine. I may leave it out next time (roasted red pepper isn’t my favorite). The soup also came out incredibly thick with 2.5 cups of broth, more like the consistency of mashed potatoes. I ended up adding 5 cups of broth. I also added some (1/2 teaspoon?) cinnamon and ground sage because I wanted more of the warm autumn flavors. The goat cheese on top was a really nice touch. If I could get my hands on the Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice pipits, I’d toss those on top too. My kids liked it, so it’s definitely a win in my book.
Question – do you remove the bacon fat from the Dutch oven before you add the butternut squash mixture or do you add the mixture to the bacon fat?
I always leave the fat in and it is so tasty!
This was delicious! I am on a ginger kick so added some with the roasting vegetables. The goat cheese & bacon on top were perfect. Thank you for the recipe!
I do feel like this did take longer than 15 minutes to prep, but maybe I’m just a slow prepper. That said, this recipe is lovely! Just made it and am enjoying this now. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
That’s one beautiful soup!
Sorry, meant to give it 5 stars!
The Official Home Food Taster, aka my husband, said this was delicious! I am not usually a soup enthusiast, but this soup has changed that! I got to use my immersion blender for the first time – make sure you put the soup in a tall stock pot as there is a lot of cast-off from the blender which otherwise will fly all over your kitchen LOL! Also, my double-bottomed Food Network baking sheet worked perfectly roasting the veggies and bacon, while a regular one burned them (I needed 2 of them). So I would recommend either reducing the baking time and/or put a baking sheet on top of another if you only have regular ones. Thanks for this outstanding recipe!
This was so yummy! I feel like this would be GREAT with mushrooms in it as well.
Just bought an immersion blender and this was my first dish using it. The butternut soup was fabulous. The toppings finished it off perfectly. Will make it again!!!!!
Great dish !! Added red pepper flakes as well! Love all these recipes!!
I swore I didn’t like butternut squash until I tried this soup. Pleasantly surprised at how good this was, definitely a repeat in my household!
This is an amazing butternut soup! The bacon definitely gives it a richer taste. This will be a new staple meal.
Perfect every time! Yuuuummmmm!!!