Harvest Soup with Apples and Bacon

Last night, I fulfilled a childhood dream. I ate my dessert before my dinner. I didn't make it home from work and the gym until just after 7 p.m. and I was STARVING. Dinner was at least 30 minutes off, so I grabbed a fudge bar from the freezer to munch on while my dinner was cooking.

It was a great idea to eat a snack. Between all the peeling and chopping, the "30 minute" meal I made tonight took much longer. Probably didn't help that I got distracted by So You Think You Can Dance and forgot to set the time on my soup. Oh well. Soup's forgiving, right?

This soup was exactly what I needed, though. Super creamy, smoky and earthy without being heavy or full of fat and calories. Plus, it makes great use of fall's produce - sweet potatoes, turnips, butternut squash and celery root. I've never used turnips or celery root and you know? Celery root smells EXACTLY like celery. I guess I should have guessed as much, but I didn't really expect it. I wonder if I could have saved a bit of money and just used celery?

Anyhow. I wasn't sure about the soup on the first bite. It was pretty squashy tasting. But it really grew on me and I ended up going for a little bit of seconds. I'm even looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.

Harvest Soup with Apples and Bacon
From Everyday with Rachael Ray

8 slices center cut bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 granny smith apples, 2 1/2 peeled and chopped (reserve the other half)
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
8 ounces celery root, peeled and chopped
8 ounces turnips, peeled and chopped
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (I used a little bit of dried instead)
32 ounces chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp, stirring occaisionally. When bacon is done, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel.

Add onion and cook over medium heat until soft -- about 8 minutes. Add the chopped apples, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, celery root, turips and thyme. Cover and cook unitl vegetables are crisp tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the broth and 5 cups of water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Discard the thyme stem if using and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or pour the soup in a blender and carefully puree it until smooth. Finely chop the remaining 1/2 of the apple and top the soup with the crumbled bacon, diced apple and thyme leaves.

Serves 8.