Butternut Bacon Bisque

This is a take on a recipe I found last fall, I changed it up a bunch and turned it into a savory bisque, perfect for this nasty fall weather.

1 Large and 1 Small Butternut Squash (about 6 to 6.5 pounds) Peeled (a Y shaped peeler works best) and diced, into large cubes
4 Cups chicken stock
2 Cups chicken broth ( I used bouillion cubes, because we prefer the flavor)
2 Tablespoons of ground black pepper
4 Bay leaves (we like the flavor they give soup, you can use less if you like)
4 Whole peeled garlic cloves
1 Carton heavy whipping cream (16 oz.)
1 Stick of butter
2 Packages of Oscar Mayer recipe pieces bacon bits (found in the salad dressing aisle at the grocery store)
1/2 of a white onion diced

Peel the shell off with the peeler and dice the squash then place in large stock pot.  Add Chicken Stock, broth, black pepper, garlic and bay leaves, Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium low and let simmer for 2 to 3 hours.  Once simmered, remove the bay leaves, and puree the liquid and squash, It would be best to use a blender but I used my Stand mixer and it worked fine, a little messy but same end result. Put back into pot and add whipping cream, butter, and bacon, bring it back to a boil, and then let simmer again, saute the onions in 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil till shiny, or translucent, and add to the pot.  Cook till ready to serve stirring ocassionaly. 

I will be serving this with Homemade french bread, topped with a dollop of sour cream.

This recipe is pretty easy but a little more labor intensive, so if you are not home for alot of the day, I would reccomend making it on the weekend.

This makes enough for several meals, and some to freeze as well.  With the math I did when adding up the cost per serving including the bread this came out to about $2.00 a serving, and in a week or two when squash goes down even more in price, it will probably go down to about $1.50 a serving.

Till next Time,