Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
December 09, 2019 | Updated August 02, 2022
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This spicy butternut squash soup is a ritual meal in our home, mostly as a byproduct of growing the Three Sisters: Corn, beans, and squash. Hell, I even have a “three sisters” stew I make with whatever leftover meat I happen to have handy.
I know, there are many, many versions of squash soup on the internet, but my rendition of spicy butternut squash soup has one thing few others do: Cayenne, of course, but also bacon. Yep, bacon. In the soup itself.
Lots of recipes add crumbled bacon as a garnish, and I always support that — especially if you make your own bacon. (I have lots of homemade bacon recipes here.) But I took a tip from a minestrone soup I read about in Saveur magazine about 15 years ago to puree the bacon in the soup itself.
Yeah, I hear ya: pureed meat? Ew! Except it’s not “ew,” because you only notice the flavor when you are eating this soup. It’s still predominantly a butternut squash soup, but you get extra body, richness and smokiness from the bacon. Trust me on this one.
And yes, you can skip the bacon to make this vegetarian. But I wouldn’t.
I grow butternut squashes, typically old Native American varieties that are drought tolerant, big and which will keep for many, many months. I like them because of the characteristics I just mentioned, but also because they are bright in color and are reasonably dry; I find most pumpkins watery.
That said, this squash soup can easily become a pumpkin soup if that’s what you have. The color may be slightly different, and pumpkins are more watery, but it’ll work. Kabocha or Hubbard squashes would be my next best alternatives, though.
The bay leaves matter here, and if you can use more than two, do it. I actually add like six, but I have lots and lots of bay leaves handy. They add a beautiful floral aroma to the soup that works well with the bacon and squash.
Finally, your garnishes should add something to the party, too. Squash or pumpkin seeds are a must. A variety of seeds, like both of those plus sunflower kernels, would be cool, too. Black pepper is nice, as is any paprika, but especially Spanish smoked paprika. Fresh chopped herbs like chives are a nice touch, and of course, so is chopped crispy bacon.
Once made, your spicy butternut squash soup will keep a week or so in the fridge. It doesn’t freeze that well, though.
And if you like this recipe, you will love my butternut squash curry, which is a bit different from most versions of that dish.
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 to 1/2 pound bacon or salt pork, diced (use less if it's really smoky)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)
- 1 quart turkey, chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
- Salt
- 2 heaping tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)
- Smoked paprika (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat and add the onions and bacon. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent. You don't want them browning. Pour in the stock, add the cayenne, squash, bay leaves and a healthy pinch of salt. You might need a little water to completely submerge the squash. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for an hour. Stir it once or twice in that time.
- Uncover the pot, remove the bay leaves and puree the soup, either with an immersion blender, by moving the soup to a blender or a food processor, or by pushing it through a food mill. An immersion blender will give you a slightly chunky soup, a blender the smoothest. Return the soup to the pot, put the bay leaves back in and simmer gently, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Stir frequently to keep it from sticking on the bottom.
- Add salt to taste. Right before you serve, whisk in the sour cream or creme fraiche. Adjust the thickness of the soup - you want it to look like melted ice cream. Serve garnished with pumpkin or squash seeds and smoked paprika.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made this 2 nights ago and it’s awesome! My wife and my daughter and her family all liked it a lot!
I subbed leeks for the onion, so color wasn’t as nice, but the taste was still excellent!
Excellent. The whole family loved it. Wonderful fall soup.
I just made this, and my wife was blown away.
I have made this multiple times with butternut squash, Naked Bear cooking pumpkin and Hubbard squash (or a combination). This is hands down the best squash soup recipe I have tried. I have frozen the base and added the sour cream later. Also had it as the soup course at dinner parties. Love the fact it is not curry based like so many other puréed squash soups. You cannot go wrong in making this!
Made tonight for my wife and kids with some baking soda biscuits. Kids were silent and asked for seconds. Enough said.
Best squash soup I’ve ever made. I roasted the seeds from the squash, and put them, the smoked paprika, and diced crispy bacon on top. Delicious.
This recipe came at a perfect time. I was just moving the garden squash to the root cellar and the same day got my 4lb package of Nueske’s bacon!
This soup was out of this world!
Wonderful. Thank you
Excellent
I am one of those people that can’t follow recipes. I combined three of yours: Bacon Butternut, Three Sisters Stew, and Pozole. I baked the squash for more flavor and used NM Blue corn hominy, Anasazi beans and Dixon chili powder.
Worked out great.
You also inspired me to make Elderflower Liquor which was nice.
Every recipe of yours I have tried so far is a winner.
Thanks.
Excellent savory fall and winter soup! We look forward to making this throughout the winter with homegrown squash and homemade bacon.
This is one of my family’s favorite soups. The kiddos 6 & 4 even eat it and love it. Minus the cayenne pepper that is for the adults right now. We make this bi-weekly during the fall and winter.
This soup recipe is the best ever!!! Thanks Hank!!!
Excellent soup. New favorite for our family. Thanks!
Wow… This is great. Sweet, a little smokey, a little salty, some texture. I trimmed the bacon a bit and drained the extra fat before adding the squash and broth. I used an immersion blender. Thanks Hank, this is a keeper.
i made a nice greenwater out of thistles, just like the Scotch did. It seems to be mild. Lambs quarters is another mild choice. Extension volunteers were weeding out dozens of thistles in one of those fallen fruit projects across the street from me, so I got some a few weeks ago. Froze some. Traditionally, it was used in cockaleekie soup. There are many wild greens you can use to make a vegetarian broth. some will stay green through a mild winter. One does have to careful. Many people limited their green water or vegetarian broth to one particular plant.
I knew someone who canned a bunch of thistle water for this man, gave him a years worth. he gathered the thiste and brought it to her and bought the jars as well.. He put it solely in canned tomato soup with sour cream on top.
Trying it now. It’s in the pot. Thank you.
Perfect comfort food for a snowy day! The bacon adds flavor and depth and isn’t weird pureed.
That is a killer recipe Hank!
Thanks!
Tad
Hank,
What is considered a large squash (weight)? Also, I have an acorn squash on my counter right now. Would that be suitable?
I’ve been looking for a simple bread recipe to go with some of the dishes on your website and venison cookbook. Have you thought about posting a simple bread recipe?
John: A large squash by weight could be 60 pounds, but I am talking about a 4 to 6 pounder. Acorn squash works, but you’d need two for this recipe. As for bread, I don’t really bake much.
I stick my whole squash in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes, it will peel easily.