Butternut Squash Cream Soup with Apples and Bacon

Creamy butternut squash soup is the perfect cold weather meal. This simple, warming dish is homey and comforting enough for a weeknight family meal but special enough to serve as an appetizer during the holidays. Here’s more good news: This entire recipe can also be made in one large pot. You start by rendering the fat from some bacon, then sauté diced celery, carrot and yellow onion in that fat before adding the squash and some chicken broth. (We also add potato and green apple to make the soup even more flavourful.) Once the ingredients are cooked, you can blend everything with an immersion blender right in the soup pot or transfer it to a standing blender in batches. Serve the soup sprinkled with crispy bacon and slivered raw apple.

6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ½" pieces
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ lb boiling potatoes
2 medium Granny Smith apples, divided (~ ¾ lb total)
1½ lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½" pieces (3½-4 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
2-2½ cups water

Garnish:
sour cream

Cook the bacon in a 6 qt heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving 2 Tbsp. of fat in the pot. (Add vegetable oil if your bacon is very lean and doesn't yield enough fat.)

Cook the celery, carrot and onion in fat in a pot over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 10-12 minutes. Add cinnamon and cook, uncovered, stirring, 1 minute.

While vegetables are cooking, peel potatoes and coarsely chop. Peel and core 1 apple and coarsely chop.

Stir squash, potato, apple, broth, water, sea salt and pepper into the onion mixture, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Purée the soup in 4 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then heat in a cleaned pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. (Add additional ½ cup water to thin, if necessary.)

While soup is heating, cut enough of remaining apple into thin matchsticks (~ 1½" long) to measure about ½ cup.

Serve soup topped with sour cream, bacon and apple matchsticks.

Makes 8 servings (~ 8-9 cups).

Make-Ahead: Soup can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered once cooled. Cooked bacon can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container - reheat in a 375°F oven in a small baking pan.