Meg Goes Nom Nom

You guys wanna hear something cool? Today I paid off one (of three) of my student loans! Woot! #accomplishments

In other news, I have been totally embracing the flavors of fall. Last week I made Cheese Ravioli with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce. I also made Apple Streusel Muffins this past weekend. And I’ve been eating straight up apples and just recently-ripe Michigan tomatoes every single day like it’s nobody’s business.

Today I embraced squash. The noble butternut squash (my favorite).

Butternut squash has been one of my VERY favorite foods every since I was a little kid. I never understood people who didn’t like it and thought my sister was a loony for refusing to eat it. I’m always the first one to reach for the serving bowl of squash at Thanksgiving. I will actually pick up the peel left behind and gnaw out the last few morsels of flesh from a baked squash half, if nobody’s looking. No way I’m the loony one here.

As much as I love squash, the huz probably wouldn’t approve if I delivered a plate of roasted squash for dinner. So, in order to accommodate both of our tastes, I made something meaty and hearty, and then bathed it all in squash. Muahaha. Evil.

Okay so what actually happened was that I made this recipe from Taste of Home for Hearty Butternut Squash Soup. It’s basically two cans of white beans, two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, and a pound of sausage, all bathing in a thick butternut bath. Mmm. You already know I loved this recipe.

The night before, I chopped up my squash, onion, and peppers, to cut down on prep time the next day. I’m always ravenous when I get home from work and like to eat as soon as possible!

Here’s how it went down tonight, after work:

The last step was to simply heat the soup through, and serve!

This soup was thick, rich, chunky and so hearty for fall! I simply loved it.

It makes a ton too, which means I already have dinner made for tomorrow too!

Hearty Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage [I used Hot Italian Turkey Sausage]
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large butternut squash (about 5 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen corn, divided
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon chicken [or vegetable] base [or bouillon]
• 2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Heavy whipping cream [or sour cream] and minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

1. In a stockpot, cook sausage, onion and red pepper over medium heat 9-11 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove with a slotted spoon; discard drippings.
2. Add squash, 1-1/2 cups corn, water and chicken base to same pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until squash is tender.
3. Remove soup from heat; cool slightly. Process in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to pot. Add beans, tomatoes, salt, pepper, sausage mixture and remaining corn; heat through. If desired, drizzle servings with cream and sprinkle with parsley.Yield: 12 servings (4-1/2 quarts).

(Taste of Home also has a freeze option on their website.)

Yield: 12 servings (1.5 cups each)

My Rating: 8.4/10