Acorn Squash & Kale Soup

I love Autumn!  I love the weather cooling off, the leaves turning, and just the overall feeling of the season.  I can pull out my longer sleeved shirts, layer, and slum around in my comfy brown hoodie.  It's a great season, and I love food that reminds me of it.  That's why I decided to make a dish with a fall/winter squash.  I originally was going to go for butternut squash, but found this recipe for acorn squash on Martha Stewart's website.  The picture you see above is my leftovers being stuffed into jars for cold storage. :)

The acorn squash can be prepped ahead of time until you're ready to make the soup.  Just try not to burn out your blender in the process like I did.  It was an older inexpensive machine, so it couldn't handle the squash!

RIP Mr. Blendy!

Acorn Squash and Kale Soup (Original Recipe Here )

Ingredients:

• 4lbs of Acorn Squash  (having a touch over won't hurt. I ended up with just under 4.5 pounds).
• 6 cups of kale, cut up with the hard stems removed
• 4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 to 3 green onions - bottom parts only
• 3 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cups of water

Acorn Squash Prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the acorn squash on a rimmed cookie sheet, and place the sheet into the preheated oven.
3. Bake for an hour, turning the squash occasionally to ensure it gets done on all sides.
4. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Once cooled, slice the squash in half and remove the seeds.
6. Scoop the meat of the squash into a blender and discard the skins.
7. Puree/liquify the squash.

Directions:

1. Cook the chopped bacon in a large pot over medium to medium low heat until crispy.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel covered plate.
3. Cook green onion in bacon fat until soft (about 2 to 3 minutes).
4. Add kale, and cook until the kale is tender (about 5 to 7 minutes).
5. Mix the acorn squash puree into the pot with the water.  Add more water if you desire a thinner consistency.
6. Add seasonings and butter.
7. Simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally.
8. Either mix the bacon in a few minutes before stirring, or add to the tops of the bowls as a garnish (I mixed it in to capitalize on the flavor).

Serves 5 to 6