Butternut Squash Soup With Cheddar Bacon Crostini
This cozy butternut squash soup is creamy, comforting, and packed with sweet roasted squash flavor. The squash is roasted until tender before being simmered with onion, carrots, garlic, and a touch of cinnamon, then blended until perfectly smooth. Paired with crispy, cheesy crostini topped with smokey bacon.
Ingredients
- 1 (2½-3 pound) butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch of cinnamon
- 4 cups chicken broth (1 carton)
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, plus more for drizzling
- 1 baguette, cut into 1-inch slices
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 5 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- chives, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place squash onto the baking sheet, skin side down. Drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place into the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes until squash is cooked though and fork pierces through easily. Set aside for 10 minutes to let cool. Once it's slightly cooled down, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots. Sauté the until soft, about 5-6 mins. Add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the cooked squash, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, pinch of cinnamon, and chicken broth. Stir until well combined. Bring to a gentle boil. Place lid on top and simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
- Remove pot from heat. Use an immersion blender and blend until creamy. Or let the soup slightly cool and transfer soup into a standing blender. Blend until it's creamy and you may need to blend it in 2-3 separate batches. Be careful when opening the lid of a standing blender, it will be very hot and can splatter. Stir in cream until well incorporated.
- Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Assemble baguette slices onto baking sheet. Sprinkle cheddar cheese onto baguette slices. Top each slice with 2-3 pieces of bacon. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until cheese is melted and bacon is cooked.
- Serve butternut squash soup warm with cheddar bacon crostini, garnished with chives and drizzled with cream.