Butternut Squash And Bacon Bisque

Let me introduce you to my new favorite fall recipe, Butternut Squash And Bacon Bisque. Isn’t it beautiful? Well, let me tell you, it’s also fresh and flavorful.

The saddest part of this story however is that, it’s currently 90 degrees here in San Diego. Not exactly what you would call soup weather. To be honest I don’t know that soup weather really exists here except for a few rare days out of the year. Thankfully I have air conditioning, candles that smell like pumpkin pie french toast, and this delicious Butternut Squash And Bacon Bisque so I can pretend fall is here.

I would have served this up with some tasty jalapeno cornbread but I got so excited about making the bisque that I totally spaced and didn’t realize I had forgotten it until it was too late! Does that ever happen to you when you’re cooking? Just goes to show how much I was looking forward to enjoying this meal.

Butternut Squash And Bacon Bisque

*Serves 3-4*

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash (About 3 lbs., peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch chunks )

1 Red Onion (Diced)

1 Red Bell Pepper (Chopped)

1 Granny Smith Apple (Peeled & Chopped)

8 Slices Maple Flavored Bacon (Diced)

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper (To Taste)

2 Tbs. Fresh Thyme (Stems Removed)

2 ½ Cups Chicken Stock (More Can Be Added If The Bisque Is Too Thick For Your Liking)

⅓ Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese

3 Tbs. Chopped Chives

4 Tbs. Roasted Pepitas

Directions:

1. Make sure to dice and chop the squash, onion, bell pepper, apple and 4 slices of the bacon while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. The squash is what will take you the longest to chop. I suggest using a VERY sharp knife. Toss all of it into a large bowl to coat with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Dump all of the ingredients from the large bowl into a large glass baking dish. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes.
3. As everything is roasting in the oven, dice the other 4 pieces of bacon and cook them in a skillet on medium heat for about 6 minutes or until crispy. Set aside on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the extra grease.
4. While the pan is still hot, toss the pepitas in the pan to roast them in the bacon grease for about one minute. Be sure not to overcook them or they will burn. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb grease.
5. When the squash mixture is done in the oven, transfer the contents to a large stock pot set to medium heat. Add the fresh thyme and any additional salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Next pour the chicken stock into the pot and puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency.
7. Bring the bisque to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. If the bisque is too thick you can add more chicken stock.
8. Serve fresh and garnish with the goat cheese, bacon, pepitas and chives.

I’m really happy that you are trying out my recipe for Butternut Squash And Bacon Bisque. Would love to see how it turns out for you! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @natashasfoodadventures or use my hashtag #natashasfoodadventures.