Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apples & Bacon

It's finally feeling like Fall and I got in the mood to cook something warm and soothing for my family as we are all battling colds. I dug out  this recipe I found at allrecipes.com.  I made it once last year and it turned out so well I was looking forward to trying it again this year. Well, I got the same result!  For non-vegetarian soup lovers, this is a MUST TRY! For vegetarians, just leave out the bacon and sautee the veggies in olive oil and season to your liking. It's a little time consuming, but it's good for those of you who enjoy being in the kitchen. The steps are easy and straight forward. 

Peel, chop and cube one 3# butternut squash.  Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper on a baking sheet. Bake at 375* for 40 minutes.

While the squash is roasting:

 Chop up 8 slices of bacon and cook in a dutch oven or LARGE frying pan until desired crispiness.

After removing bacon pieces, add to the drippings: one whole chopped onion, 6 chopped carrots, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and salt & pepper to taste.

Sautee until soft.

Add 1 peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple and roasted squash to pan.

Cook another 5 minutes. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook an additional minute.

Pour 1 cup of apple cider over mixture; reduce to medium-low and reduce the liquid by half. Next, add 5 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for 20 minutes

Puree batches of mixture in blender (do not fill blender more than 1/2 way). Transfer pureed soup to pot.

Serve with homemade baked sourdough croutons, crispy bacon and sour cream (or plain greek yogurt in my case).

This is amazing!! Enjoy.

It doesn't hurt to pair the soup with a side salad, a nice glass of wine and a roaring fire. Oh, and a loved one.