Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Bacon

Just last week I entered this soup in a chili & soup cook-off. It won!!! I personally like to add more bacon (I just mixed it right into the soup), and I roasted the butternut squash before adding it. I also added just a bit of fresh nutmeg & cumin. Delicious!

2 slices bacon
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
white and pale green parts of 1 large leek, chopped fine and washed well (about 1 cup)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 bay leaf
1 1/4 pounds butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 medium Granny Smith or other tart apple
2 cups low-salt chicken broth plus additional for thinning soup
1/2 cup half & half

Accompaniments:
chopped unpeeled apple
crumbled bacon
Sour cream or creme fraiche


In a skillet cook bacon until crisp and drain, reserving 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Crumble bacon.

In a heavy saucepan cook onion, leek, garlic, and bay leaf with salt and pepper to taste in reserved fat over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Add squash, apple, peeled and chopped, and broth. Simmer mixture, covered, until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes, and discard bay leaf. Add half & half

In a blender purée mixture in batches, transferring as puréed to a clean saucepan, and add enough additional broth to thin soup to desired consistency.

Add salt and pepper to taste and heat soup over moderately low heat until hot (do not boil). Makes around 5 cups.

Serve soup topped with crumbled bacon and accompaniments.