Easy Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon Brittle

28 comments

I first made butternut squash soup with candied bacon last autumn, after watching a masterclass episode of MasterChef Australia in which Matt Preston shared his recipe for an easy pumpkin soup garnished with pepita (squash seeds) and bacon candied in brown sugar

I’ve simplified his recipe and changed the way I candy the bacon pieces for a crunchier texture; I think it’s more accurate to call my version bacon brittle. The recipe below produces twice as much bacon brittle as you need for two bowls of soup but it’s very hard to resist adding more so the extra soon disappears. It will last a day in the fridge in an airtight container or feel free to halve the amounts.

Butternut-Squash-Soup-Bacon-Brittle-KaveyEats-(c)KavitaFavelle-fulltext

Pete and I like the subtle warming flavours of the mixed spice, but you can certainly omit the spice if you like. I’ve made it both ways and we like both versions.

Vegetarians can substitute pumpkin seeds for bacon, toasting them gently before mixing them into the hot caramel and allowing the brittle to set.

This year, I’ve been able to use our homegrown butternut squash for the first time and just love them so we’ll definitely be growing more next year.

Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon Brittle

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

For the bacon brittle:

  • 150 g cubed pancetta, lardons or chopped streaky bacon
  • 100 g caster sugar

For the soup:

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or bacon fat drained from cooking the bacon)
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 500 ml homemade chicken or vegetable stock (or water)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2-3 tbsp double cream (optional)

Instructions

To make the bacon brittle:

  • In a frying pan, dry fry the cubed bacon until it the fat starts to colour a little, about 5-8 minutes. I like my bacon to still have some chew, but you can cook a little longer for a more crispy finish if you prefer.

  • When the bacon is cooked to your liking, scoop out the bacon pieces and set aside. Optional: retain the bacon fat left in the pan, to use when cooking the squash.

  • Before starting the bacon brittle, get a baking tray ready by lining it with greaseproof paper or a silicon mat.

  • In a clean heavy-based frying pan evenly sprinkle the sugar across the surface area and cook over a medium heat. Do not stir, and keep a continuous watch.

  • When most of the sugar has melted into a clear liquid, shake and swirl the pan gently to mix hotter and cooler areas and help the rest of the sugar to melt. Do not stir!

  • As soon as the melted sugar begins to brown, watch like a hawk.

  • Once the sugar takes on a decent caramel brown colour, remove from the heat and immediately add the bacon pieces. Mix thoroughly and quickly.

  • Immediately pour out the mixture onto your prepared baking tray and poke any lumps flat with a wooden spoon, if needed. The brittle will start to set very quickly, so you won’t have much time. Leave the bacon brittle to cool and harden.

To make the soup:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

  • Peel the squash and remove seeds and fibres from the centre. Roughly chop the flesh into chunks, about an 3 cm or so in size and spread them out in a baking dish.

  • Sprinkle a teaspoon of mixed spice (if using) and a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil or bacon fat (or a mixture of both) over the squash.

  • Bake until soft, 30-40 minutes.

  • Heat the stock in a pan or the microwave, or boil the kettle if using water.

  • Put the baked squash, stock (or water) and a little salt and pepper into a blender and blitz until smooth. Add double cream, if using, and briefly blend again.

  • Taste and add more seasoning if required.

  • Serve the soup immediately, with broken pieces of bacon brittle on top.

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Looking for more inspiration? Try Nazima’s Winter Squash Veloute with Chipotle Lime Roasted Seeds & Apple, Camilla’s Spelt and Butternut Squash Cake and Becca’s Paneer Stuffed Butternut Squash.

I’m entering this into Ren’s Simple & In Season (hosted this month by Katie) and Michelle & Helen’s Extra Veg and Jo’s SuperSoup challenges.

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I made this soup using my lovely Froothie blender, which is fast becoming one of the most frequently used appliances in our kitchen. It’s so powerful and quick, it’s a pleasure to blitz fruit and vegetables. We also enjoy using it to blend and cook really quick soups from scratch, such as this recipe for courgette and blue cheese soup, and a simple tomato soup made with fruits picked only seconds before – making this in the Optimum 9400 resulted in an incredibly fresh tasting soup. It’s also a doddle to make custard from scratch, which is excellent news for ice cream making!

Kavey Eats received a review Optimum 9400 power blender from Froothie. All opinions are my own. Please see the right side bar for a special offer on buying the Optimum with an extended warranty via my affiliate link.

Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!
28 Comments to "Easy Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon Brittle"

  1. Katie Bryson

    Wowzers Kavey, this looks and sounds divine! I make butternut squash soup quite a lot but have never tried candied bacon with it… your brittle looks so tempting i’m going to have to give it a go when my veggie husband is not around!!!!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Thanks – you could always make a batch of the pumpkin seed brittle variation for him!

    Reply
  2. Dom

    oh my good lord that bacon brittle is stunningly drool worthy and what a great idea to have it with Butternut Squash soup. A wonderful combination!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Can’t take credit for the idea, that belongs to Matt Preston (from Aussie Masterchef’s) but I much prefer the crunchier texture and easy method of my version, I must confess!

    Reply
  5. kaveyeats

    It’s gorgeous, I keep the amount of stock quite low as I like it thick, but of course people can add more if they prefer a thinner soup. I also find the way the Optimum 9400 blends creates a light and airy texture, not quite frothy but certainly aerated.

    Reply
  8. kaveyeats

    Oh I often yearn for things at what is considered innapropriate times — not sure why we feel the need to restrict ourselves so! If you fancy it for breakfast you should!!!

    Reply
  10. kaveyeats

    Thanks, I did love the colour of it, Deena! No saturation boosting at all when processing the image, by the way, that’s the colour as it really was!

    Reply
  14. Monica

    Hey something to do with that “mixed spice” lurking in my cupboard. I’m liking the sound of this for a pumpkin soup… like pumpkin pie in soup form. I’ll take the pumpkin seeds over the bacon this time, thanks!

    Reply

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