Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage and Kale

My friend Kristi is a fellow busy, hard-working mama who strives to always get a hot dinner on the table. And — like me — when there's no time or energy to cook, take-out, short-cuts and leftovers work, too. But we always try and we love to share recipes and compare cooking notes. Kristi recently texted me a recipe for a butternut squash soup from a blog called The Lemon Bowl.

I made Kristi's new fave soup with a few tweaks. She suggested a dash of sage and I decided to use a little more squash. I also couldn't find Italian turkey sausage, so I used regular. Anyhow, it tasted souper (see what I did there?!) good, especially on a cold winter day.

XOXO,
Amy

Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage and Kale
3 links of uncooked Italian sausage — spicy or sweet, turkey or regular — removed from casings
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups butternut squash peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
4 cups kale, roughly chopped
14 ounce can of cannelini beans, drained and rised
Dash of ground or fresh sage
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to garnish — optional

Spray inside of large pot with non-stick spray and heat pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pot. Brown sausage for 7-8 minutes, using spoon to break meat into bite-sized pieces. Don't be afraid of the sausage getting brown, because the more it carmelizes the tastier your soup.

Add garlic, onion and red pepper to pot and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until onions and peppers are tender, about 5-6 minutes.

When sausage is nicely browned and veggies are tender, add broth to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Add in the squash and cook until softened, about 20 minutes.

Five minutes before serving, add kale and beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan if you like, which I did.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Here's the recipe I promised on Friday: Curried Butternut Squash Soup. I realize I've posted about a million butternut squash soup recipes, but I just can't help it. Squash is delicious. It's also a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.

Even with all the squash soup I've served, a recent conversation with my gal pals made me realize an important variation I'd inadvertently ignored; I have never made butternut squash soup with curry powder in it! It was high time I checked that off my bucket list, and the result was as delicious as I'd hoped.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Serves: 6-8

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups cubed butternut squash (I buy peeled and cubed butternut squash at Costco. It's the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously.)
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 apple, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper
1.5 teaspoons curry powder
32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
Sour cream, for serving

In a very large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high. Add squash, onion, carrots, and apple. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they're starting to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, making sure you scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to incorporate the browned bits of flavor into the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream.