This soup is everything you could ever want in terms of fall flavors. It’s an elegant, hearty, and surprisingly healthy recipe that will become an instant favorite in your home.
Fall is the time of year when everyone is obsessed with pumpkin. As much as I love the taste of pumpkin in the fall, my true favorite is the butternut squash.
It’s one of those humble ingredients that never really gets its chance in the spotlight like pumpkin does.
The squash is actually lighter, sweeter, and more delicate in flavor. It’s those flavor notes that make it ideal for so many different treatments, from steaming to roasting, and mashing to pureeing.
Fun tip: did you know you can even eat the seeds? Well, you can, just like pumpkin seeds! I recently learned this, so now I feel bad about all those seeds I threw away so hastily last season… But I won’t do it again!
This creamy recipe is everything fall. The smell of the squash and apple, the warmth of the spices, and the flavors when they all come together – it’s all fall.
It reminds me of sitting in a warm cafe for lunch in the middle of the week, when autumn is in full swing. The creamy soup is light and hearty, just like a local cafe would serve up, alongside other velvety soups like potage parmentier or potage creme d’epinards.
I remember last fall, I made it a priority to get away from my desk for lunch at least once a week. I would frequent a local restaurant that had about 10 seats, and the most amazing soup selection.
This recipe reminds me of one particular bowl of goodness they would serve there, and I am so ready to start that weekly routine of enjoying lunch out again soon. But now that I have this recipe, maybe I’ll need to explore their menu a little more…
It’s just so good when it’s homemade, and prepared from scratch in your own kitchen! Everything about this recipe screams cozy and warm.
With a hearty helping of crumbled bacon on top, you get those salty notes and a touch of added texture in each spoonful.
If you ask me, everything’s better with bacon! But this recipe can also be made vegetarian if you skip this ingredient, and use vegetable stock or water.
When it comes to the texture of this recipe, it’s ultra silky smooth, to the point where it might be hard for you to believe that this creamy soup is actually dairy-free.
You start with a butternut squash that’s already super smooth, but after you add the mixture to a blender, you get the ideal texture with the help of potato starch to thicken it up.
The contrast of the smooth soup with crunchy bacon on top is an incredible pairing. Try some toasted sunflower seeds, pepitas, squash seeds, or our savory granola on top for a veggie-friendly crunchy garnish, or some pan-fried vegan bacon crumbles.
I personally love to serve up this dish for dinner on a chilly night with ample amounts of crusty, toasted bread. Let’s just say I will take any excuse to eat more carbs whenever I can…
It’s a meal that will fill you up from the inside out, without helping you put on those extra winter pounds. Well, unless you eat an entire loaf of bread with it. So maybe try to avoid doing that, because it doesn’t help.
Trust me, because maybe I’m speaking from experience… ha!
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Creamy Butternut Squash Apple Soup with Bacon
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This creamy butternut squash apple soup with bacon will quickly become your favorite for cozy weeknight dinners in the fall.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 cups pureed butternut squash
- 1 tsp potato starch, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup crumbled bacon, about 4 to 5 slices (optional)
Instructions
- Melt oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in apple and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in stock, water, and thyme. Bring to a boil.
- Add butternut squash puree to the pan and cook until heated through.
- Transfer soup to a blender with 1 teaspoon of potato starch.
- Blend 30 seconds or until smooth and thickened.
- Serve warm with bacon on top, if desired.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Vegetable
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
Keywords: butternut squash, bacon, apple, soup
Cooking By the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prep and Measure Ingredients
First, peel and mince or press one clove of garlic.
Peel and grate half of one Granny Smith apple. You could use a box grater for this, or your food processor.
If you haven’t already, make butternut squash puree. If you like, you might even be able to find this in a can. But I prefer to make mine from scratch, by cutting a butternut in half and scooping out the seeds, roasting it, and then blending until smooth.
Crumble 4-5 slices of bacon, or prepare your choice of substitute.
Measure out all of the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.
Step 2 – Make Base
Add the coconut oil to a medium pan, add place it over medium heat.
Once the oil has melted, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the apple, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the stock (try our recipe for homemade stocks!), water, and thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
Stir in the butternut squash puree and cook until it’s heated through, stirring occasionally.
Step 3 – Thicken and Blend
Add the soup base to a high-speed blender with 1 teaspoon of potato starch.
Blend for 30 seconds until smooth and thickened. Be careful not to burn yourself, and do this in batches if necessary. To make the process even easier, I like to use my immersion blender right in the soup pot.
If you find that the soup is particularly watery, add more potato starch 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and blend again. You shouldn’t need to add more than 1 additional teaspoon of starch to thicken it up.
Step 4 – Serve
Ladle into bowls, top with crumbled bacon, and serve.
Not a big fan of the precooked, crumbled bacon? You can easily make your own by cooking bacon in the oven, and chopping in to small pieces.
I Cut Into My Squash And It’s Not Ripe…
It can be tough to tell whether some types of vegetables are ripe or not. However, butternut squash is easier to figure out than you might think. You just have to know what to look for.
First, it should be beige all over, with a matte finish. The darker in color it is, the better. Make sure to avoid any with green patches. If it’s shiny, it isn’t ready yet.
The squash should feel heavy as well, which is another good indication of ripeness. Finally, give it a gentle tap with your knuckles. If it’s ripe, it should sound hollow on the inside.
Hungry for more? Make the most of fall with these butternut squash recipes:
Will you enjoy this soup as an appetizer or as a main dish? Tell us in the comments below, and make sure you come back to rate the recipe once you try it.
Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on December 1, 2013. Last updated: September 27, 2022 at 15:10 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Meghan Yager
Meghan Yager is a food addict turned food and travel writer with a love for creating uncomplicated, gourmet recipes and devouring anything the world serves up. As the author of the food and travel blog Cake 'n Knife, Meghan focuses on unique foodie experiences from around the world to right at home in your own kitchen.
This soup is the best. Thank you!!!
★★★★★