Week 49: Butternut Squash Soup

The Recipe
2tbsp butter (optional)
1 butternut squash, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
1 onion, cubed
150g bacon, sliced
2 bell pepper, sliced
1 liter chicken stock
2.5dl (~1 cup) cream or 1 can coconut milk
chili to taste
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of curry

Turn on the oven to 175C and bake the squash for 1 hour (poke some holes in the skin to allow steam to get out) - this will make it a lot easier to get the skin off.
(Alternatively, cut it in half and give it 30 minutes in the airfryer)

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.

If necessary, add the butter to the bacon fat and cook the potato, carrot, onion, squash and half the bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and leave to simmer for about 40 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Add the rest of the bell pepper, bacon and cream/coconut milk and heat up. Season according to taste.


The Verdict
A bit of an experiment. I've never actually made butternut squash soup before, but I've had it a few times and always loooooved it. This was pretty good for a first attempt, and definitely worth making again just as-is, but I think I want to play around with the tastes a bit more. Baking the squash ahead of time should make it a bit sweeter, so I want to see what it's like if I don't do that first. I also want to try making it with coconut milk rather than cream.

But definitely something I want to make again. Even DH complimented it :)

ETA: I've now tried it again, and trying to peel the butternut squash without baking it first is a hassle and a half! Not sure it's worth it.
Substituting the cream for coconut milk is an excellent change though! It was even better than last time :-) Really, really, really good :-)

The receipe has been updated with my alterations.