Butternut Squash & Carrot Soup - Paleo Omaha

Serves 6-8.
Ingredients

1 lg butternut squash, about 3 lbs
12 oz package of nitrate-free bacon, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1 lg yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 lg. carrots, sliced into 1/4″ slices
1 lg apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
6 cups of chicken stock (homemade is best)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup coconut milk (optional)
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Instructions
Preheat often to 450ºF.  Halve the squash lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds.  Place both halves cut side down in a 9×13 baking dish.  Fill dish with 1 cup water.  Bake for 45-60 mins or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Let cool, then scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon.  Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat, add bacon; cook until rendered and brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Scoop bacon out with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Set aside.
In same pot over medium heat in bacon drippings, add onion, carrot and apple; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.  Add garlic; cook about 1 minute.  Add stock, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.  Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Discard thyme springs and bay leaf.
Add roasted butternut squash to the pot and puree until smooth with an immersion blender.  Alternately, working in batches, puree mixture in blender until smooth and return to pot.  Simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, if you prefer, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Ladle into soup bowls.  Garnish with bacon “croutons”.