Harvest Pumpkin Soup With Candied Bacon

• 1 whole Small Sugar Pumpkin
• 1-1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 whole Sweet Onion, Diced
• 1/2 cups Carrots, Diced
• 1/3 cups Celery, Diced
• 3/4 teaspoons Fresh Grated Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 4 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 cups Good Quality Maple Syrup
• 1 pinch Salt
• FOR THE CANDIED BACON:
• 4 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Cut In Half
• 1/4 cups Pecans, Finely Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Good Quality Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1 pinch Fresh Ground Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400u0b0F.
2. Cut the sugar pumpkin in half. This will require a sharp knife and a little bit of muscle. Scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers. (I highly recommend keeping the seeds and roasting them. They're awesome.) Place the pumpkins cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour until they are very soft.
3. Once the pumpkin is in the oven, prepare the candied bacon. Cut bacon slices in half and place on a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the pecans, maple syrup, brown sugar and a little fresh ground pepper. Use a spoon to spread the pecan mixture onto each piece of bacon. Bake bacon for 20 minutes until the bacon is golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain any excess grease. Set aside until ready to use.
4. About 10 minutes before pumpkins are ready, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. When hot, add the onion, carrots and celery and saute for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are tender. Add the ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, and then add the vegetable broth and maple syrup.
5. Scoop the flesh from the cooked pumpkins (you should have about 2 cups) and add it to the soup. Simmer
6. for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and then puree using an immersion blender (fancy!), regular blender (you may have to do this in batches), or a food processor and return it to the pot. Season with salt to taste.
7. Serve your soup warm topped with whole or crumbled candied bacon and get cozy. Happy fall, friends!

sugar, olive oil, sweet onion, carrots, celery, ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, vegetable broth, ubc, salt, candied bacon, bacon, ubc, maple syrup, brown sugar, fresh ground pepper

Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/harvest-pumpkin-soup-with-candied-bacon/ (may not work)