Italian Sausage & Butternut Squash Soup

This holiday season was the first time that I had to navigate through all of the delicious, traditional holiday food on this grain free and dairy free diet.  It was intimidating as I knew the difficulty in trying to eat at other people's houses, craving sweet treats that my stomach can no longer handle, and working to find new dishes that my family and I could eat that would be yummy and invoke the holiday spirit. 

I'll admit, this first year was definitely challenging.  I could have pushed someone off a sleigh just to nibble on a leg of a gingerbread man.  But I was strong.  No sleigh riders or gingerbread men were harmed.

But now that I am coming up on the end of this challenge, I am also feeling very proud of myself.  I came up with some fantastic recipes that are sure to become new holiday traditions.  I hope to share a few of those recipes over the next few weeks.  And I hope you like them as much as I did.

This first one will for sure become a fall/winter staple.  Inspired by a CSA butternut squash sitting on my counter and the contents of my freezer, this dish is hearty and delicious and completely grain and dairy free.  It is perfect as a side or featured as the main dish.

Italian Sausage & Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

pepper

1 large onion (chopped)

1/2 lb Italian sausage (casings removed)

6-8 garlic cloves

1 tbsp fresh chopped sage

6 cups of broth (turkey or chicken)

1tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and chop into 1inch cubes.  Lightly toss the cubes with 1tbsp of olive oil and the garlic cloves.  Season with salt and pepper and toss on to baking sheet.  Bake until you are able to easily pierce the squash with a fork - approximately 45 minutes.  I usually go in and toss the squash about half way through to keep it from sticking.

Once the squash is close to being done, in a very large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining olive oil.  Once the pan is hot, add the sausage.  Cook until the sausage is cooked all the way through and is golden brown.  Add the onions and cook until they are translucent and begin to carmelize.  Add in the sage and any other herbs that sounds good and stir for about 1 minute.  Add the cooked squash and garlic as well as the broth.  For the broth, I prefer to use my homemade turkey broth for a little bit of extra flavor, but chicken stock will work just as well.  Stir well and increase the heat to bring it all to a boil.

Let it boil for about 30 seconds to a minute and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Ideally, you want it to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  But I will admit that on Christmas Eve with a house of hungry people, I only let it simmer for about 10 minutes and it still tasted delicious.

Once it is done simmering, pull out your trusty immersion blender (best kitchen appliance ever) and put on your apron (you will thank me for that reminder), puree the soup.  Then add in the apple cider vinegar and stir to combine.

Taste and adjust any seasonings as desired.

Don't be afraid to make a big batch of this soup as it also freezes really well.  I like to freeze it in individual portions and then I take it to work for lunch.