Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta

The perfect antidote to a cold, winter evening is a nice hot bowl of homemade butternut squash soup. This recipe trades sweet for savory by amping up the umami of this classic dish for a rich, satisfying, and healthy winter soup!

Roasted butternut squash soup with crispy pancetta and homemade torn croutons

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like (or love) butternut squash. Perhaps that’s because it has a mild, sweet nutty flavor that appeals to almost any hard-to-please eater. Plus, it’s a healthy choice for a low-calorie vegetarian dish that is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. All that said, my favorite way to prepare butternut squash is to up the decadence level and transform this mild and assuming winter squash into the base for a flavor bomb of a soup!

Most butternut squash soups I have tasted tend toward the sweet side – they traditionally include apples, maple syrup, brown sugar, and even some of the sweeter baking spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. I love those soups, but I think the way to bring out the best that butternut squash has to offer is to amp up the savory instead of the sweet and transform this everyday squash into something truly special. Here are my secrets for making that happen!

First, I roast the squash in the oven under high heat until the squash is browned and tender. While the squash is roasting, I sauté pancetta (salt-cured pork belly) right in the soup pot until it’s nice and crispy – then I remove the pancetta and sauté the vegetables for the soup in the rendered fat from the pancetta along with a bit of butter. Another great trick to up the umami is to add one or two parmesan cheese rinds (you can get this at most grocery stores) while the soup is simmering. Finally, as if that wasn’t enough, I add just a bit of crème fraiche (a thick cream made from heavy cream with the addition of buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt) to make the soup silky and smooth and then top it off with the crispy pancetta.

You can also add quick homemade croutons by tearing up pieces of Italian or Sourdough bread into bite-sized pieces, and then browning them on medium-low heat in a skillet with a bit of butter, olive oil, and salt and pepper - you'll end up with delicious croutons in 15 minutes!

The end product is a decadent, savory soup that will warm your body and soul during the coldest winter night! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

This is my last blog post for 2023 as I go on my regular one-month December hiatus and take a short break from blogging. Thanks to every one of you who are regular readers of my blog - I really appreciate it! I'll be back with my first blog of 2024 on 5 January. Until then, happy holidays to all of you and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Pancetta (Serves 8)

This is a perfect cold-weather soup that uses butternut squash as the base for a warming, savory and filling dish for the fall and winter months. Serve with homemade croutons and a nice Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon like the Siduri Willamette Valley Pinot Noir or for a bit of a splurge, the Resonance Willamette Pinot Noir.

Ingredients

3 lb. butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

4 oz. chopped pancetta (our favorite is Boar’s Head or Colameco’s Uncured Diced Pork Pancetta)

2 tbsp. salted butter

1 cup chopped peeled carrot

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

½ cup dry white wine

8 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 parmesan rind

½ cup crème fraiche (or heavy whipping cream if you can’t find crème fraiche)

High quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and move oven rack to the middle position. Place the squash on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil, salt, and pepper. Roast squash in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is lightly browned and easily pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, place the diced pancetta in a large soup pot and cook over medium heat until pancetta is browned and slightly crispy on the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool.

Add the butter to the rendered fat from the pancetta and heat over medium-high until sizzling. Add the carrots, celery, leaks, and ginger to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any blackened bits on the bottom of the pot until the wine is almost completely absorbed. Add the roasted squash to the pot, along with the bay leaf, parmesan rind, and the vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly off heat. Remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender (make sure to start the blender on low and then increase speed, and also cover the blender lid with a kitchen towel just in case the soup splatters which can happen when it’s still hot).

Bring soup to a simmer on medium-low heat and stir in crème fraiche. Adjust soup to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with the crisped pancetta and a drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.