Butternut Squash with AmaBlu and Bacon Crumbles

Topped with crumbled AmaBlu

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. butternut squash
  • ½-¾ lbs. yellow potato
  • 4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 small white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 TBSP ginger, minced
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • 5 oz. of AmaBlu (we like the ease of the crumbles cups)
  • 2 TBSP oil for cooking (we like avocado, but you can choose your own adventure on this one)
  • Olive oil for garnish

Directions:

Step 1: Roasting

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a sheet liner. Cut the neck off the squash and set aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out the seeds and discard. Gently spread a thin layer of oil on the inside of the bulb and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet and roast until tender, about an hour. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool. Scoop out the cooked squash and put it aside until later.
  2. Cut onion and potatoes in half. Gently toss in oil. Cook in the same oven as the bulbs of the squash until roasted and tender.
  3. Once the vegetables are cooked, bump up the oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on a lined baking sheet and cook for about 15-20 minutes until crispy. Allow to cool. Chop up into bite size pieces for garnish.

Step 2: Building the soup

  1. Remove the skin from the neck of the squash. Cut into 1-inch pieces and put aside.
  2. Mince up the shallot, garlic and ginger, separating the shallots from the garlic and ginger.
  3. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, heat remaining oil (about 1- 1 ½ TBSP) on medium heat. Add shallots and stir. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the remaining uncooked squash, ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Add the stock until the squash is tender (about 15 minutes).
  6. Add the roasted squash, potatoes and onions to the pot. Add more stock if needed. Cook for about another 30 minutes.
  7. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. You can also use a regular blender working in batches to avoid spilling the hot soup.
  8. Return to the pot and stir until the texture is smooth and creamy.
  9. Once you are ready to eat, heat up the soup to your desired temperature. Ladle into bowls. Top with crumbled AmaBlu and bacon bits. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Enjoy!

Bacon not your thing? Check out Bon Appetit's way of roasting mushrooms so they taste just like bacon bits.