Butternut squash, white bean and bacon soup

We interrupt this bread blog to bring you one of my favorite recipes ever: butternut squash soup. It is so delicious, so healthy and filling that I had to share it.

I found it on Grubarazzi but made several changes.

You will need:

1 pack of bacon
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
box of cherry tomatoes or can of chopped tomatoes
2 cans cannellini beans
1 bunch sage
2 springs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
pinch of red pepper flakes
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper

1. fry up the pack of bacon in a large saucepan. Move the crispy bacon to a plate to cool.  Leave the drippings in the pan.

2. Fry the onion in the bacon drippings until they are golden and translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

3.  Add the garlic and butternut squash and fry for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.

 5. Add the herbs, beans, tomatoes and spices.  Let the vegetables soften, about 45 minutes to an hour.

 6.  Chop up the bacon and add to the soup.

 7. Turn the heat off and let the soup sit.  When the soup has cooled enough to handle, blend in batches.  Taste and season as needed.

I hope you like this soup!  I served it at a party and got rave reviews.  The beans provide a great heft to the soup instead of milk, a roux or heavy cream, which makes it great for people who can't process gluten or lactose.