Welcome to the Saturday Soup Swap!
Soup is one of my favorite meals this time of year, and I was excited to be the host of this month’s swap. As host, I selected pumpkin and squash soups as a seasonal theme. I love a creamy squash soup, and knew I needed to create the perfect recipe to share with you for the November swap.
Today I am sharing Creamy Maple Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Bacon. This soup has it all. Velvety smooth due to a a butternut squash and cream base. Blended with flavors from onions, celery, and garlic, and a light sweetness from the maple, and rich tang from the goat cheese. The finishing touch is a topping of crisp smokey bacon, and a little more goat cheese. Comforting fall perfection wrapped up in a little steaming bowl.
I know that some families have the tradition of serving soup on Thanksgiving, and this soup is a perfect addition to a holiday spread. It is rich, but not too heavy, and has a bit of a twist with the flavor combo of goat cheese, maple, and bacon to set it apart from other creamy squash soups. The color is a beautiful light golden yellow, and with the toppings it is one beautiful bowl. I know I am happy that I can have a bowl of this to enjoy with the snow and chill coming into our region!
Today I am up early and off to an early morning barre class. It is my studio’s 3 year anniversary and there are all sorts of fun activities going on. I know that getting to a 6 a.m. work out class is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it gets my day going and I can get back home just as the kids are rolling out of bed…unless you are Rowan, my youngest, and are up at 5:30 a.m. to build Duplo towers each morning. We are headed to the Holiday parade and then dinner with friends in the evening.
Check out the soups from my fellow swappers in the link-up below! What are some of your favorites soups? Do you have a cold weather tradition or a soup you make for a snowy day? I know mine is usually something creamy or, my favorite, chili.
Creamy Maple Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Bacon
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 5 strips center-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3 oz goat cheese, plus extra for topping
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cube squash, cut the squash in half length-wise and slice into rounds. Peel and cube. Place squash in a microwave safe bowl with a lid. Add 2/3 cup water and steam for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Drain remaining water and set aside.
- In a pot, cook the bacon till crisp. Remove and place bacon on a paper towel lines plate and set aside.
- Add onions, celery, and garlic. Cook until onions become tender. Add squash, goat cheese, broth, cream, and maple syrup. Cover and lightly simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and blend using an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender an regular blender can be used, but be sure to check the recommendations of you blender with hot liquids.
- Once smooth, season with salt and pepper. Allow flavors to blend for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Serve and top with crumbled goat cheese and bacon.
Maple, squash, bacon….it couldn’t get better…wait, it did, goat cheese. This has got to be a super soup!
That is one gorgeous bowl of soup. Thanks for the great theme!
Oh my, this does sound like a bowl of creamy heaven! Thanks for hosting this month and picking such a great theme!
The perfect first course for a holiday feast.
This sounds and looks amazing- goat cheese and bacon? So good!
Yes please!!! I can already smell the onions, celery, and garlic. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try! And wow, your photos are absolutely beautiful 🙂
This looks like one of those meals where the flavors explode in your mouth. I am thinking that garlic bread would be amazing with this as well. Goat cheese, bacon, maple syrup? What a treat!
This is an incredible combination, maple, bacon and squash – oh I’m drooling right away. A wonderful fall soup. All I need is some bread to dunk into the soup.
Oh, I love the combination of maple and squash and you added bacon. Perfect. Love how creamy this looks too. Saving for later