Last updated on March 12th, 2021
I developed this soup 19 years ago, and I’ve been serving it every Thanksgiving and Christmas since. It’s a beautiful brew of caramelized butternut squash, smoky bacon, savory thyme, and smooth sherry. Serve the soup for dinner tonight, and your family will think you’re a genius.
Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon, Sherry, and Thyme: The Video
As noted in the video, you can garnish the soup with a drizzle of cream and a shower of croutons. For a sexy cover photo, I decorated my bowl with crumbled bacon and fresh thyme leaves. Not that the soup requires any embellishment at all! It’s delicious as is, and at any temperature. I sometimes sip the soup cold from the fridge. I’m weird that way.
This same soup was featured on this blog way back in 2011. I even included the recipe — with the simplified title “Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup” — in my 2017 cookbook. I’m repeating the recipe yet again today, simply because I made the soup yet again this week.
So promise me that you will try this blissful brew. It’s about as comforting as comforting can be.
Oh. Not sure how to peel and cube a butternut squash? Click here to watch me tackle the chore.
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And here, because I love you, is the printable recipe:
Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon, Sherry, and Thyme
Equipment
- A heavy soup pot or Dutch oven that will hold at least 5 quarts
Ingredients
- 1 large (3 1/2 - 4lb) butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- Olive oil
- 8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into pieces
- 2 large yellow or white onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus grinds of black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (triple the amount for fresh leaves)
- 5 cups low- or no-sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 cup medium-dry ("Amontillado") sherry
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the squash pieces on a large baking sheet, drizzle them with a little olive oil, and toss to coat. Roast in the preheated oven until fork-tender and lightly colored -- about 40 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting, put the chopped bacon in the pot or Dutch oven. Cook slowly over low heat until fat is rendered -- about 8 minutes. Stir in the onion, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover the pot, and cook gently until the onion is soft but not colored -- about 20 minutes.
- Tip the bacon mixture and 1 cup of the stock into the jar of an electric blender. Blender at high speed until perfectly smooth -- about 30 seconds. Quickly wash out and dry the soup pot. Return the pureed bacon mixture to the clean pot.
- Pour the cooked squash and 1 cup of the stock to the blender, and blend until smooth -- about 30 seconds. Add the pureed squash to the pot, along with the remaining stock, the sherry, and the cream. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then immediately reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Taste carefully for seasonings -- you might like to add more salt.
Notes
Lise Gray says
hi Kevin! i absolutely love Butternut Squash Soup! I make it every year in the Autumn. I find it helps me celebrate the coming of Autumn!!!! Yey!
The Season i love so much ;o) Anyhow , the only thing i have never done, is add a bit of Bacon. BUT , so the Next time i make this soup, i will follow your Recipe specifically. !
Thank you so much for posting this as we are CRAZY about the Butternut Squash soup !!! thank you again Kevin , so much again!
kt says
I love that you post videos with tips on how to prepare the recipes. It really helps! I can’t wait to make it!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Lise – I’m so glad!
Hi kt – Yes, lots of prep tips in the video. Thank you for watching it!
Charlotte Smaldone says
Kevin, Can’t wait to make this soup with my home grown butternut squash. I don’t like the flavor of sherry. Could I leave that out without changing the taste of the soup? Thank you for always explaining your recipes so thoroughly. You are the best.
Lorra says
Kevin, I have been following your blog for 2-3 years. It is my favorite. I am looking forward to making this soup. But it serves 12. There are only tow of us. Can it be frozen after it is made?
Thanks.
Jersey Shore Amy says
Sounds great! I have a butternut squash recipe that we enjoy for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas as well, but it doesn’t have bacon and it doesn’t have sherry! Can you tell me about how many lbs of squash you end up with after trimming and cleaning a large 3.5-4lb squash? I tend to take the lazy route and buy squash already cut up.
Thanks,
Amy
Marcy MacDonald says
I have a recipe for Butternut Squash soup which I make. The recipe call for Italian sausage and tomatoes. We make it at this time of year when squash is plentiful and fresh. Love watching you make yours and I might try it.
Louise says
I will make the soup having gotten organic squash. Thanks for the detailed recipes. I think cutting the recipe in half, will make enough for a few meals. I will refrigerate leftovers.
Nancy says
Levin, this soup sounds wonderful ! I have two questions, if I eliminate the sherry will it make much of a difference? Is it possible to use milk instead of cream? For some reason, cream used in any way makes me sick. Thank-you so much for all your advice and demonstrations.
Nancy in British Columbia
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Charlotte – As mentioned in the video, sherry lends an exquisite aroma to this soup. I would not leave it out.
Hi Lorra – You can certainly halve the recipe if you wish. As mentioned in the video, the soup freezes perfectly.
Hi Jersey Shore Amy – For packaged, already-peeled/cut-up squash, just eyeball the amount. You’ll need enough to fill a large baking sheet without crowding.
Hi Marcy – Thanks for watching the video!
Vickie P says
I love butternut squash in any format. Just picked up two at the farmer’s market. Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing
Maureen Connors says
Sounds amazing! One question, do we ad the bacon fat into the blender as well? I think I’d use a straining spoon.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Maureen – I do add the bacon fat to the blender (it’s the same fat in which the onions are cooked). Enjoy the soup!
Hallie MacDonald says
I made this the other day and it was HEAVENLY!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Hallie – Thanks for the 5 stars. I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup!
Jacqueline says
Hi Kevin,
I have frozen squash in freezer and will make the soup, however, can I use Tawny Port as substitute for sherry? Also, do you have any recipes, soup or otherwise, for pumpkin?
Many thanks, and stay well.
Phyll says
I have made butternut squash for decades and it was always delicious. However, this looks incredible and will make it for Thanksgiving for my husband and myself. Thank you for a different way of making it.
Joyce says
Hooray! Just the thing to add sparkle to our feast for two!
Beth Hamm says
Hi Kevin, I made this last week and it is FABULOUS. The method is top notch and the result is out of this world. A keeper. Thank you so much for sharing! Happy Healthy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Beth – So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Anne Paulson says
Wow, this is our new favorite fall soup! Tried it for Thanksgiving (just my husband and myself) and loved it! Have shared the recipe with my daughters (one living way out in western NY, the other in Queens, NY so everyone stayed safely put—thank goodness for Facetime!) Best wishes for a safe holiday season, and thanks again for your videos and website!
Raine D. says
New reader — where have you been all my life?? — and this recipe will be my first effort off your blog. It looks fantastic. My husband & I don’t drink much & I never seem to have what I need on hand when it comes to cooking & booze, including sherry. I contemplated substituting brandy (which I keep on hand for Christmas cakes) but decided to not be an idiot (!) so tomorrow am going to buy a good dry sherry just for this. THAT is how impressed I am with what I’ve seen here.
Catherine Kane says
Made this today. It was a little sweet for me, but my tester LOVED it. Better than she ever had in a restaurant. She especially appreciated the layers of flavor. Thank you.