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Tag Archives: croutons

Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Croutons

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Entertaining, Events, Holidays, Main Dish, Soups

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

autumn, bacon, carrots, chicken broth, croutons, fall, goat cheese, nutmeg, October, onion, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, soup

Nothing says Fall like a warm, hearty bowl of soup. Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Croutons, however, takes Fall to a whole new level.Pumpkin SoupI was blown away with how this soup turned out. Normally I associate the canned pumpkin with sweet treats and desserts, but this soup has changed my mind. I also couldn’t help but think baby food as everything was cooking down (aren’t I super good at convincing you to try my recipes?)…but dammit, it’s a really freakin good adult version of baby food that I would be proud to feed my baby/kids someday (showing them this blog with all the swearing probably won’t be on my list though).Pumpkin SoupAnyways, Pumpkin Soup ended up being a huge success! The bacon and croutons are a must – so was the sprinkling of goat cheese on top. Another thing that blew my mind was the soup was even better the next day. I think this soup will become a yearly October tradition in our house. Next time I will likely double the recipe since the soup is great as leftovers. I also see new versions of this soup surfacing in the years to come, and I can’t wait!Pumpkin Soup

Recipe
Pumpkin Soup with Bacon & Croutons
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 (15 oz) can unsweetened pumpkin
  • 2 cups cooked, diced bacon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 32 oz (2 lbs) low sodium chicken broth
  • dash thyme
  • dash red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 – 6 slices day old bread, depending on what size of loaf you are using (I used a few slices of a crusty artisan loaf)

Additional Garnishes:

  • Goat cheese or sour cream
  • Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and carrots and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 – 10 minutes or until softened. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper while the veggies are cooking down.

2. While the vegetables are cooking, dice raw bacon into small pieces and add to a separate pan. Cook on medium until bacon pieces get slightly crisp. Set aside and drain on paper towels. Leave remaining grease in pan for the croutons. To make croutons, cut bread into small squares and cook on medium-low in the bacon pan until brown and crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

3. Add the pumpkin, half of the cooked bacon (about 1 cup), and nutmeg to the carrot and onion mixture, stirring well. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 – 10 minutes.

4. Pour in the chicken broth, increase the heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add a few dashes of thyme and red pepper flakes, season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

5. Remove the pan from heat and let cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend up the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, I highly recommend you get one…but transferring the soup to a food processor or blender and blending in batches also works fine. If so, return it to the pan and reheat.

6. Serve soup with the reserved bacon bits and croutons. Soup is excellent with a few sprinkles of goat cheese on top, or sour cream. Toasted Pumpkin Seeds add a nice seasonal flair as well.

Caesar Salad.

29 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in LuLu's Classics, Salad, Side Dish

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

caesar, croutons, parmesan, romaine, salad, Sides

My Favorite Caesar Salad.

I have been eating this Caesar Salad since I can remember – and because of it, I find I am very picky about Caesar Salads in general. You can’t beat homemade dressing and croutons. My mom showed me how to make it a few years ago and I haven’t changed a thing since. Here we go…

Start by making the croutons. You can use just about anything – fresh french bread, an old loaf pulled out of the freezer, wheat loaf, just wing it! You can get as creative or basic as you want here.

homemade croutons

Slice the bread into bite-sized pieces. Heat a pan on medium-low with a light coating of olive oil and butter (optional, but I think it’s better with both!). Once the butter is melted, toss in a clove of minced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds and throw in your bread pieces. Stir the bread to coat evenly with oil, butter, and garlic. salt and pepper to taste. Bring heat to low and continue cooking croutons until you get your desired crunchiness.

Now, let’s get going on the dressing!

Olive oil, worcestershire, lemon juice, garlic.

Combine olive oil, garlic, worcestershire, and lemon juice. Whisk and let stand for about 10 minutes. Whisk in as much mayo as you like until you get the consistency you want. I usually do about 2 large spoonfuls. Set Aside.

Notice I am using Best Foods, NOT Hellmans (even though they are technically the same thing. Weird right?)

Onto the romaine! Fresh romaine is much better than bagged for this salad. Wash the greens, and cut off the bulk of the spine if you wish. Lay leaves flat on a towel.

If you want a more leafy and less watery salad, cut these out.

Lay cleaned and trimmed romaine on a towel.

Roll the towel up and let lettuce dry. Unroll once you are ready to put together the entire salad and pat dry if necessary.

Gently roll up the towel so the romaine dries faster.

A cocoon of romaine.

Cut the romaine or break into bite-size pieces with your hand and add to salad bowl. Add croutons, freshly grated parmesan, and halved cherry tomatoes. Add dressing, toss, and serve immediately.

For a complete meal, add chicken and/or bacon.

Recipe

Caesar Salad

Dressing

  • 1/2 Cup olive oil
  • 2 TBS worcestershire sauce
  • 1 TBS Lemon juice
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • approx 1/4 cup mayo
  • salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together and let stand about 10 minutes. Whisk in as much mayo as you like to get the consistency and taste you want.

Croutons

  • 2-3 cups cubed french bread
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • Pat of butter
  • 1 clove garlic

Cut french bread into cubes the size you want for croutons. Heat a large flat pan on the stove to medium-low and pour in olive oil and add butter. Once butter is melted add garlic and sprinkle in sea salt. After about 30 seconds add the cubed bread and toss to coat. Occasionally stir and let bread cook until you get to desired crunchiness, about 10 – 20 minutes.

Salad

  • 6 cups Romaine Lettuce
  • 1 -2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Add Salad ingredients and croutons to a large bowl. Add desired amount of dressing and serve immediately.

Optional: Grilled Chicken and Bacon.

Ready to get tossed with dressing and served!

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