Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

orange colored soup drizzled with white sauce and nuts

5 from 27 votes

Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

Made with fresh roasted butternut squash, onions, garlic, crispy bacon and a touch of cream, this butternut squash and red pepper soup is one big ole bowl of easy-to-make comfort!

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Total Time2

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: servings

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Equipment

Immersion Blender

Ingredients

2 whole butternut squash
2 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves smashed
3 tablespoon dry sherry
5 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon coconut sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon nutmeg
6 ounces bacon crisped and crumbled
½ cup creme fraiche (for serving)
½ cup pepitas (for serving)

Instructions

Cut the squash in pieces to make it easier to handle. Cut each piece in half so the flesh is showing and remove the seeds.
Place the squash on a baking sheet, flesh side up and lightly salt. Roast in a 350F degree oven for about 1 ½ - 2 hours (or more if needed - it is almost impossible to over roast) until it's tender when pierced with a fork.
About an hour into roasting, add the red peppers to the sheet, skin side up. make sure the seeds and stem have been removed and the peppers have been halved.
Scoop the flesh of the squash out with a spoon and set aside along with the red peppers.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot (6-8 quart) over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic and sauté until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the sherry and cook for 1 minute.
Add the squash, roasted red peppers, chicken broth, salt, pepper and paprika and stir. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender, and blend in batches until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one for this step so you don't have to do any transferring.
Pour mixture back into the pot and bring to a light simmer.
Add the cream, nutmeg and salt to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve garnished with crème fraiche, pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and crumbled bacon.

Notes

Make the roasted butternut squash the day before to save some time. It can be stored in the fridge.
If you are roasting cubed butternut squash instead of the whole squash, reduce the roasting time to 45 minutes.
The squash will be soft, lightly browned on the edges and caramelized when done roasting;
Roast the squash in advance to save time;
Use a hand blender to blend the soup to avoid dirtying a blender.
This soup can be frozen BEFORE the cream is added. Store for up to 3 months. Reheat on stove and add the cream and garnishes to serve.

Nutrition