smoky squash and "ham" style soup

the 3rd in our trilogy of squash.

sweet and salty never tasted so good!

smoky squash and “ham” style soup

1 medium sized butternut squash – peeled and diced

1 medium yellow onion – chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves - minced

2 tbsp earth balance

1 cup fake bacon or bacos

1  tbsp brown sugar

4 cups no-chicken broth

3 scallions for garnish – chopped

¼ tsp liquid smoke

freshly ground black pepper

salt

heat oven to 400.

on a baking sheet toss your squash with 2 tbsp olive oil.  add a little salt and pepper and bake until soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.

remove from oven.

in a large pot add onion and 2 tbsp olive oil; cook until translucent, add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes..

add squash and stock into pot. bring to a simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

with an immersion blender, puree soup until silky smooth.  add your fake bacon, liquid smoke and earth balance; cook another 10-12 minutes on low. (if the puree is too thick, add a little more broth to thin it out)

season lightly with salt and crushed black pepper and garnish with fresh scallions.

serve with white wine.

enjoy!