Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Pancetta

A creamy, comforting soup with sweet and spicy fall flavors, and a savory Italian twist. Simple and delicious, this recipe will leave you feeling cozy and satisfied.

Autumn. Isn’t it funny that just a little dip in the temperature can make us so ready for the warm hug of a sweater? The toasty glow of a fire? A warming bite of hearty soup?

When I think of fall, I think of squash. But the thing about starchy squash is you have to get it just right to keep it out of the “meh” zone. I don’t know if it’s just my palate, but sometimes when I eat fall/winter squash or even sweet potatoes, after a few bites I feel inundated and have to stop. I think it’s partly a dull sweetness and partly a heavy, homogenous texture.

Not the case here! Filled with fall flavors, this soup is hearty and filling—but it’s also balanced.

The squash, pancetta (Italian bacon), sage, red pepper, and maple syrup all work together to achieve balance, but this recipe also has a secret star: browned butter. There isn’t much, but I swear it makes all the difference in the world.

Pancetta plays a stand-out role too. Not only does it give the soup a nice ribbon of soft umami flavor, it also provides pops of flavor and texture throughout. The tiny pieces of uncured bacon burst between your teeth, sending extra reserves of savory goodness into the mix.

One of my favorite things about this particular soup is that it’s an excuse to use one of my favorite kitchen tools—my immersion blender. There’s something so satisfying about putting the stick into the soup and pulverizing everything. It reminds me of when I worked at Dairy Queen as a college freshman. Making that swirl on the top of the cone was an art, but sliding the blizzard cup over the blending stick and managing to mix the toppings into the delicate ice cream evenly was a show of power.

Like, a nice, sweet show of power. For good and ice cream. Now I want a pumpkin blizzard.

I personally use the Cuisinart CSB-79 Smart Stick 2 Speed Hand Blender. I’ve had it since 2014, and it is perfect for making sauces, soups, smoothies—I’ve even used it to mix honey into natural peanut butter, which is no easy feat with out power tools. It’s super easy to use and super easy to clean. The only slight, slight issue I’ve had with it is that the measuring cup it came with cracked from over-use (I used to use it almost every morning to blend greens finely for smoothies), but we were able to get a new one really easily.

Back to the soup. I hope you try it out, and if you do, please let me know how it goes! I love to hear from you on social media and in the comments. I you want to hear from me more often, make sure you sign up for my email list (in the sidebar). You’ll get a sweet treat for doing so. Not a pumpkin blizzard, but it’s pretty good.

All right, so let’s review. If you’ve created this recipe, you now know how to:

• Roast squash
• Brown butter
• Toast pepitas

And it was pretty simple, right?

Listen, the number of recipes you can make with if you can do that is astounding. This is cause for celebration! Be proud of yourself, because you can cook.

If you liked this post, make sure you join my VIP List! When you sign up you’ll get a freebie to help you master every recipe you take on, and emails for new recipes. You can sign up in the sidebar near the top of the page.

So what’s your favorite autumn soup? Let me know in the comments!

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Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Pancetta

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• Author: Leannda Cavalier
• Prep Time: 1 hour (to roast the squash)
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hr and 30 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 (1-cup servings)
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: American

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Description

A creamy, comforting soup with sweet and spicy fall flavors, and a salty, savory Italian twist. Simple and delicious, this recipe will leave you feeling cozy and satisfied.

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Ingredients

• 3 acorn squash, halved
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large leek, dark top removed, thinly sliced* (about 3 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 5-oz pancetta
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons good quality maple syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas*

Special equipment

• Enameled Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot (at least 4.5 quarts)
• Immersion blender or standard blender

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Instructions

To roast the squash

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F and cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Cut acorn squash in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds with a sharp-edged ice cream scoop or spoon. Lay flesh-side-up on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. If it doesn’t cover adequately, spread it out with a pastry brush.
4. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and pepper.
5. Roast for about one hour, or until the outer shell is black, shiny and easy to remove.
6. Once the squash is cool enough to touch, peel off the skin and discard. Set squash aside.

To make the roasted acorn squash soup with pancetta

1. Warm an enameled Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Sauté the pancetta until crisp, about 4 minutes.
3. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. Carefully drain off most of the fat and return the pot to the stove.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and add the butter. Melt and allow the butter to foam up. Continue to cook, gently swirling pan occasionally, until foam subsides and the butter begins to smell nutty and turn golden brown.
5. Add the leeks and garlic. Sweat them for about 4 minutes, or until leeks are soft and translucent.
6. Pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and scrape any browned bits off the bottom with a silicone spatula.
7. Add squash and remaining chicken stock. Bring it to a simmer.
8. Use an immersion blender to blend mixture until evenly creamy.
9. Add sage, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, maple syrup and heavy cream. Stir to combine, and cook about 5 minutes to marry flavors.
10. Serve warm, topped with pancetta and pepitas.

*To toast the pepitas

1. Heat a pan over medium heat. Add pepitas and allow to toast for a couple of minutes until you begin to smell them. Toss them around a bit to warm them on all sides, and set them aside on a plate until you’re ready to use them.

Notes

• Serve in small bowls or large teacups. This is a heavy soup, and is meant to be part of a larger meal. You want to give a taste, but not fill everyone up too much to enjoy the rest of dinner.
• If you don’t have an immersion blender you can blend the soup in a normal blender, but be careful! Work in small batches, hold the lid on tight, and use pot holders in case the blender gets hot.
• You can always roast the squash ahead and refrigerate. Just make sure you peel it while it’s still a little warm for optimal ease, and give the soup a little more time to warm up after adding the squash.
• If making ahead, be certain to cover the pot you use to reheat it. Heat it low and slow, and be careful because it will POP.

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