Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Chicken Sausage
4
servings15
minutes40
minutesFall means it’s soup time!! This makes us happy! Using fresh and local fruits makes this recipe a winner! This is a perfect meal when the temperatures start to get cooler. Â
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 6 cups). You can usually find this in the grocery store already prepared.
2 red apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 lb. of chicken sausage, casing removed
4 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil
4 cups of of chicken stock
1/2 tsp. of cumin
1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. of fresh grated ginger
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Suggested/optional toppings: slices of fresh jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced and chopped apples, roasted pumpkin seeds*
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place diced butternut squash on a baking sheet, season with 1/2 Tbsp. of olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss to coat.  Place diced apples on baking sheet, season with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast squash and apples for approximately 25 minutes or until tender.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, brown sausage, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks, approximately 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large stockpot, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and add onion. Cook until tender (about 6 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add cooked squash, apple, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, fresh ginger, salt and pepper.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender you can ladle cups of soup into a blender or food processor to achieve the same result.)
- Add crumbled sausage and serve with recommended toppings.
Tips and Nutritional Values (source: healthline)
- Â 1. *We use Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.
- 2. This soup thickens as it sits. You may need extra broth when reheating.
- 3. Fun fact…squash is actually a fruit because it contains seeds and develops from the flower producing part of the plant. Butternut squash is an excellent source of Vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.
- 4. Brightly colored vegetables are found to be heart healthy.
- 5. They say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Studies found that apples lower cholesterol since they are high in soluble fiber. They also contain polyphenols which are linked to lowering blood pressure and risk of stroke.
