With soup season upon us, it’s time to grab your favorite bowl and get ready to ladle out some deliciousness.
Here is a butternut and acorn squash soup garnished with mascarpone, bacon, chives, and truffle oil. When you invite your friends over for dinner, it’s only natural to want to serve a dish that is not only special, but warming, inviting, and plentiful so that seconds can be enjoyed.
Because butternut squash soup is a familiar classic, the real excitement comes from the toppings. Crispy bacon pieces and creamy mascarpone make a nicely contrasting garnish for this velvety squash soup. Be sure to let the mascarpone sit at room temperature at the start of cooking to cut the chill and to allow for pretty swirls when you dip in your soup spoon. For vegetarians, you can simply leave out the bacon and use a vegetable stock base.
What I love about squash soup, or any pureed vegetable soup, is that it gives plenty of room for a tempting array of interesting garnishes. Take liberty in jazzing up your soup with toppings like crispy shallots or toasted pepitas. To make it heartier, add 2 – 3 cheese ravioli, tortellini, or drop dumplings to each bowl. Truffle oil is used here because I absolutely adore the earthy aroma that adds to the coziness of serving soup for friends. But truffle oil is not for everybody, so it can be easily swapped out for other finishing touches like garlic-infused oil, paprika oil, or even chorizo oil.
There are innumerable ways to beautify an autumn soup that can yield scrumptious results. The best part is that this soup tastes just as great when made a day or two ahead, letting you focus on guests rather than cleanup. One pot, endless smiles!
Butternut & Acorn Squash Soup with Bacon, Mascarpone, Chives & Truffle Oil
Yields 8 – 10 servings
Ingredients:
2 butternut squash, large dice
2 acorn squash, large dice
1 stick of cinnamon
1 large yellow onion, large dice
5 cloves of garlic, rough chop
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 teaspoons of vegetable or chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon brand)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Heavy cream, to taste
Salt & pepper, to taste
Mascarpone, as garnish
6 – 8 slabs of bacon, cut into thirds, pan-fried, as garnish
¼ cup chives, thinly sliced, as garnish
Truffle oil, as garnish
Instructions:
In a large stockpot, add butternut, acorn squash, and cinnamon stick. Cover with cold water up to ½ inch over vegetables. Cook on high heat until rapidly boiling. Turn heat to a simmer. Boil for approximately 25 minutes, until softened and easily mashed with a fork. Remove the cinnamon stick. Strain water. Set aside. Keep the stockpot nearby to use for reheating the soup.
In a nonstick skillet, saute onions, garlic, and thyme until aromatic and translucent. Set aside.
Cook bacon. Set aside.
Heat vegetable or chicken stock.
In a Vitamix, add pieces of butternut squash, acorn squash, onions, and garlic, and 2 cups of stock at a time. Process until fully pureed and smooth, with no visible chunks. Pour back into the stockpot. Do this in batches until all of the squash, onions, and stock are used. Begin to reheat the soup.
Add the butter, the 2 teaspoons of vegetable or chicken bouillon, and heavy cream. Stir to fully melt the butter and bouillon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper and/or more heavy cream.
Assembly:
In warm soup bowls, ladle in the hot soup, leaving 1 to 1½ inches away from the top of the bowl. Garnish with 2 dollops of mascarpone in the center of the bowl. It may sink, that’s okay. Tuck in 2 pieces of the bacon on the upper left side of the mascarpone. Sprinkle the bowl with chives. Carefully drizzle some truffle oil over the other garnishes and around the soup. Serve immediately. Enjoy!