Sherried Butternut Soup with Bacon

A light and savory butternut squash soup made with roasted butternut squash and laced with onions, garlic, sherry, herbs, cheese, smoked paprika  and, yeah, bacon. This sweet/savory squash soup will fill your tastebuds with joy.

Today is a wintry (almost) spring day … we had a winter spring storm with rain and mini-hail and sleet and snow … and I am still sad/mourning the loss of a good friend and coworker and angry/sad/stressed about a couple other things in my life, so the weather felt very fitting to my mood today. I am wishing I still had some of this lovely soup on hand to help calm my emotions. But I don’t. It’s all gone. Sigh.

So when I got home from work tonight, I did some yoga to clear my mind … and when I came up from yoga, the sadness was still there, yes, quietly underlying my life, but I felt better. Lifted up from it, somehow, if that makes any sense to you. On top of that, I had messages from so many friends. It felt like I’d made room for the positive forces in my life once again.

Looking at these pictures as I write … and remembering the marvelous flavors and the gorgeous color of this soup, I think I need to get me some more butternut squash and make this soup again, for my soul. I hope you try it, my dear friends, for your body, for your health, for your soul. Enjoy simple pleasures like these in life with someone you love. It is these little moments that become the big things you remember when someone you care about is no longer with you.

Sherried Butternut Soup with Bacon

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 1/2 - 2 quarts of soup 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 Tablespoon garlicky olive oil (I like to use the oil from my marinated feta)
• 3 cups of cubed, peeled butternut squash
• 1 Tablespoon garlicky olive oil
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped fine
• 1 yellow onion, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped fine
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon bacon salt (purchased … or use this recipe)
• 1/2 – 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
• 4 oz. Greek cream cheese
• 3 – 4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
• Bacon morel mushroom salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
• For the top: extra shredded Gruyere cheese, crumbled bacon & fresh parsley or sage

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss the cubed butternut squash with the garlicky olive oil and set on a baking sheet. Roast at 350 for 30 – 40 minutes or until the squash is nice and tender.
2. While the squash is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and swirl the other tablespoon of olive oil around in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rosemary, sage and thyme, then the sherry and stir to mix. Cook for a few minutes longer or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. Add the bay leaf, broth, smoked paprika and bacon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes.
4. When the squash is nice and tender, remove from oven and set aside until the broth is ready.
5. Put the squash, the onion/broth mixture, milk, and cheeses in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
6. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the bacon and warm to desired temperature. Add more bacon salt & freshly ground pepper to taste.
7. Top with extra shredded gruyere, crumbled bacon and chopped fresh sage or parsley.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This post was shared at Amaze Me Mondays and What’s for Dinner?