Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Soup With Bacon and Chanterelles

Butternut squash usually screams fall... but, I was absolutely craving some butternut squash soup the other day. Sometimes I have some odd cravings, no I know what you're thinking, and that's not it. I've always been this way. But we'll get to my odd craving in just a bit! First we need to talk about this soup!

Butternut squash is a beautiful bright orange color, so it can definitely add some POP to your spring plates in an unexpected way, and it hasn't gone out of season quite yet. Plus, it is full of vitamins, so you can feel good about what you are feeding yourself or your guests (soup is a great party multi-tasker).

For this soup, I wanted to combine some more savory, yet simple, flavors to counter the sweetness of the squash. Some people like to really pump up the sweet factor with cinnamon, maple syrup, and brown sugar, but that's where the fall reputation of this squash comes from. In my soup I played with caramelized onions, chicken stock, bacon, and some deliciously nutty yet mild chanterelle mushrooms. Now, you don't HAVE to use chanterelles, use whatever you'd like, but I love these babies if you're lucky enough to get your hands on them. I found dried ones in the grocery store and just had to check them out. I reconstituted them in the chicken stock so that the broth would get the flavor and they would plump up, and they were almost as good as the fresh stuff! And a lot less expensive!

The soup turned out creamy, smooth, slightly sweet, and robust all at once. Enjoy with whatever you'd like. I don't necessarily suggest only one side, this flavor profile would serve well with poultry, but also stands up to red meat. A hearty salad of green leafy lettuce, like a good quality boston butter, avocado, tomato, and mozzarella cheese would make a great lunch addition. As would a crostini with prosciutto some red onion and maybe even some more roasted squash pieces?! Why NOT? I'm loving squash today...

As for me... it's been a long.. interesting day.. so I chose to go with some serious comfort food. Like I said, I have some odd cravings.. and when I want something, I WANT IT!

Which brings me to.....

caramelized onion butternut squash soup served with tater tots smothered in melted fontina cheese, ketchup, and a SMALL (key word small) salad.







I need to be better about eating salads. Sometimes I really just put a few leaves of lettuce on my plate to make myself feel good. It's sad. Hold me to that, I will get better at eating salads!

Whatever you serve with your soup, enjoy it!!

Caramelized Onion Butternut Squash Soup With Crispy Bacon and Chanterelle Mushrooms

1 ounce dried chanterelle mushrooms

1 32ounce box of chicken stock (low sodium if you can)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 average sized butternut squash (sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed)

3-4 slices of bacon

Lightly oil the cut side of your squash and roast face up in the oven at 400 degrees until soft and fork tender (about an hour)

Meanwhile reconstitute the mushrooms in chicken stock by bringing stock to a boil, turning off the heat, and then adding the mushrooms. Let sit in hot stock for 45 minutes or so (until the squash has roasted).

While waiting for the squash to become cool enough to handle, toss the onions in a skillet with a tbsp of olive oil. On medium-high heat, saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until they brown and begin to caramelize lightly. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Take your squash out of it's now soft shell, and place in a food processer (or blender). Strain the mushrooms from the chicken stock and add the stock to the processor. Place the onions and half of the mushrooms into the processor as well and blend until pureed. You should have a thick soup. Slice bacon into small squarish pieces and saute in the pan used for the onions until crisped. Chop remaning chanterelles and mix them in with the crisped bacon.

Serve your soup in bowls and top with the mushroom/bacon mixture. Eat up!