Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage
A delicious and savory butternut squash soup with Italian sausage and simmered shallots. This soup is a classic Fall dish with plenty of Fall flavors like thyme!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 509kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch Oven
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs mild Italian sausage
- 3.5 lbs butternut squash, cubed
- 1 head garlic
- 2 shallots
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 14 oz can cannellini beans
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan, grated
- 3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 ℉. Place the cubed butternut squash on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Slice the but off the garlic and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Wrap the garlic with aluminum foil and place it on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Place a large dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground sausage to the dutch oven. Sear untouched for 3 minutes. Then use a wooden spoon to break apart the sausage and brown. Cook the sausage through until completely browned. Strain and set the sausage aside.
- Remove the squash from the oven and place it in a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of the husk into the blender and add 2 cups of chicken broth. Blend until smooth.
- Lower the heat in the dutch oven to medium and add the shallots. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and combine well. Saute for another 3-4 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.
- Add the blended butternut squash to the pot and combine with the tomato paste. Allow the squash to saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add the rest of the chicken broth and whisk together. Add the thyme and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and return the soup to a simmer. Add the cannellini beans to the soup and return the sausage to the soup. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the parmesan and heavy cream. Combine well and then top with spinach. Combine the spinach well and cover for 5 minutes.
- Serve with extra crispy bread.
Notes
- The best way to prep a butternut squash is to peel it first, then cut it in half, then scoop out all of the seeds. Once you remove the seeds, you can chop them into 1-inch pieces.
- Sear the sausage undisturbed for 3 minutes to allow a fond to develop in the pan. This will add savory flavor to your soup.
- Caramelizing the tomato paste in the dutch oven with the shallots will help intensify the tomato flavor and contribute to the fond and flavor of the soup.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the soup to thicken.
- Taste the soup while simmering and season with salt as needed.
- Top soup with extra olive oil for more flavor, along with extra parmesan.
Nutrition
Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 2252mg | Potassium: 1039mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 19457IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 3mg
