Big Ole' Bowl of Thanksgiving Goodness

A few weeks ago I made this soup. I actually instructed you, once you you finished reading the post, to stop what you were doing and go and make the soup. If you are sitting here reading this now and have yet to make the Butternut Squash and Bacon soup I have a question for you:

"Why do you hate yourself?"

Not to fear; I have another option. Some of my fellow foodie friends put me up to the challenge make a pureed butternut squash soup. There was mention incorporating candied pecans and cranberries. Also, bacon. Always bacon.

Here is roughly what I did. (I never measure and often drink wine when I cook so, yeah.)


Half, seed, season and roast the butternut squash in a 375 degree oven until tender.


Melt about a tablespoon of butter, two tablespoons of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon in a pan. Throw the nuts in. Toss and cook for a few minutes until they start to caramelize. Pour them out onto a nonstick surface to cool.


This next part will BLOW YOUR MIND. My dear friend Toni is wonderful for a countless list of reasons but one of my favorite things about her is the girl will put sugar on anything she can get away with. This includes bacon.

Mix approximately 1/4 cup of brown sugar and about 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (more or less to taste of course). I happened to use chipotle powder. Dredge the bacon in the sugar and chili mixture on both sides and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. You will never look at bacon the same again.


Dried cranberries, chopped candied pecans and spicy candied bacon. This is the garnish for your soup. If you want to skip the soup part and just mix the contents of these bowls together to form THE BEST TRAIL MIX EVER I will not judge you.

To make the soup, saute a chopped onion in butter (or bacon fat...whatever) until translucent in a large stockpot. Dig out the butternut squash from its shell and add to the cooked onions. Sprinkle with a bit more chipotle powder and cook until the squash is heated through and starts to break down.

Honestly, I have no idea how much chicken broth to add. A box? Two cans? Enough? A wine glass full? Bring to a boil. After it boils, you can either transfer it to a food processor or blender, but that sounds like a second degree burn waiting to happen. Might I suggest investing in one of these handy things for all your pureeing needs? Hit it with some half and half at the end for richness.


This is the end result. It tastes like freaking Thanksgiving in a bowl. The only person in my house who didn't like it was Charlie. But I wouldn't trust the opinion of someone who will eat cheerios that have been in the bottom of his car seat for two weeks.