Mushroom Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

• 5 Bacon Slices
• 16 oz of Chicken Stock
• 1/2 cube of Chicken Bouillon
• 1 White Onion
• 3 tbsp of Butter
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 8 oz of Mushrooms
• 1-2 tbsp Red Chilli Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 tsp Hickory Bacon Salt (sounds weird, but I got a few of these as a present for friends and got myself one–it has such a nice bacon smoky flavor to it without adding additional bacon!  I purchased mine here.)
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
• Salt to Taste
• 4 oz Mascarpone Cheese
• 1 Med-Large sized Butternut Squash (mine was about 3 lbs. I believe)

Instructions

1. Saute the minced bacon and butter on medium heat in a soup pot, add chopped onions and minced garlic until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook until they have released their liquids.
3. Add the cubed butternut squash, then add the chicken stock.
4. Add the chilli pepper flakes, hickory bacon salt, nutmeg and garlic powder and let simmer until the squash is very tender.
5. Puree until you get a nice smooth soup-like consistency. I used a hand blender right into the soup po but you may also use a food processor or a blender.
6. Take off the heat, salt to taste and stir in the mascarpone cheese.

Tip: Continue to simmer if the consistency is too watery  from the broth until a thicker consistency is achieved. You can also substitute about 1 cup of stock to 1 cup of cream for a richer sauce and omit the cheese altogether.