This is the Thanksgiving life-saver you’ve been waiting for.
Because this outrageously creamy, dreamy, delicious pumpkin soup comes together in just 25 minutes.
If Thanksgiving’s myriad of dishes have anything in common, it’s that they’re all a pain in the ass. Most T-day recipes take forever, require tremendous labors of love, and have steps 1 – 8 billion. And while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing — delicious dishes do take effort! — it hardly makes life easier. So I’ve found it’s important to have at least one Thanksgiving recipe that comes together in mere MINUTES. And if it happens to involve bourbon-glazed bacon (!!!!!!), so be it.
You start by preparing the bacon, which takes all of 5 minutes. Simply line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then arrange slices of thick-cut bacon on top. Slather in a mix of maple syrup + bourbon (SO insane), then bake until caramelized! For something that tastes so outstandingly delicious — it’s like candy, I swear — it’s pretty damn simple. So if you start making this bacon every weekend for the rest of your life, I totally support that.
While the bacon bakes you prepare the soup, which is a simple combination of butter, organic pumpkin puree, spices, vegetable broth, and half & half. Stir until combined and smooth, adjust the seasoning for taste, and keep warm until needed. Because when I say something is alarmingly easy, I mean it!
As soon as the bacon is cooked, ladle the soup into bowls, top with croutons + pumpkin seeds, and dunk a pair of bourbon-glazed bacon slices into each. Since T-Day can be a cluster, it’s good to know that this recipe doesn’t actually need to be made to serve. The bacon can be prepped hours in advance — just keep it at room temp in a cool, dry place — and the soup can be made DAYS ahead of time! Just simply reheat it prior to serving.
Because the bacon is about as addicting as crack, I would definitely recommend making extra. People will want LOTS of it, even though an entire meal is still ahead of them. And if I’m being honest, this cozy little meal works for well beyond Thanksgiving.
A Monday? A Tuesday? A lazy Sunday?
Yes. Yes. Yes 🙂 xo
Creamy Pumpkin Soup w/ Bourbon-Glazed Bacon
Ingredients:
- 10 oz thick-cut bacon (should be 10 slices)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsps good quality bourbon (I used Knobb Creek)
- 6 tbsps salted butter
- four (15 oz) cans organic pumpkin puree
- 6 tbsps brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp all spice
- a few pinches of salt & pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup half & half
- croutons, sage, and pumpkin seeds for serving
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 400F. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then arrange the bacon on top in a single layer.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk the maple syrup and bourbon until well combined. Next, use a pastry brush to evenly coat the top of each slice of bacon with maple/bourbon glaze, then bake on oven middle rack for 15 – 20 minutes until crisped and candied. Timing will depend on the thickness of your bacon, so keep an eye on it starting at 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan melt the butter over a medium flame, then stir in the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice. Salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the vegetable broth and half & half until smooth. Taste once more and adjust seasonings as needed, then cover and let simmer on a low flame until needed.
- Once the bacon is cooked, ladle the soup evenly into two soup bowls. Garnish with croutons, sage, and pumpkin seeds, then dunk in the bacon. EAT!