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Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup
5 from 12 votes

Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup

Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup features chunks of butternut squash simmered with Italian pork sausage, garlic, white beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and spinach in a savory broth infused with bay leaves. The combination results in a hearty soup with layers of flavor from the sausage and a balance of sweetness from the squash and acidity from tomatoes.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 351 kcal
Course: Soup, Lunch
Cuisine: American, International

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
  • 1 yellow onion thinly sliced or diced small (white onion may be substituted, medium
  • 1 pound Italian pork sausage I use hot, mild/sweet may be substituted, read the FAQs for more info
  • 1 butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 pounds or 2 1/2 cups cubes, see Tip box midpost for using precut squash, medium
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 6 cups chicken broth I use reduced sodium
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 15.5 ounces great northern beans rinsed and drained (or use another white bean, see FAQs, canned
  • 14.5 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes use petite diced tomatoes if you don't want any heat, canned
  • 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
  • 2 cups spinach about 2 heaping handfuls, kale may be substituted for a more earthy flavor, fresh baby
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
  • Garnishing ideas optional; see the FAQs

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the onions, and saute over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes; stir very frequently.
  2. Add the sausage and cook to brown. As the sausage is cooking, break it up and crumble it for even cooking; stir very frequently and mix it in with the onions. Remove the sausage and onions mixture and set it aside on a plate, cover it with foil to keep warm, and set aside.
  3. As necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil, add the butternut squash cubes, garlic, and cook for about 1 minute, flipping and tossing the squash and coating them in the garlic.
  4. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, bring to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Squash Tip - Make sure your squash cubes are not bigger than 1/2-inch dice because it's such a hard, root vegetable that takes a long time to cook and the bigger the cubes, the longer they'll take to become tender, and the longer this soup will take to be ready. Creamier Soup Tip - (If you're not doing this, jump to the next step) If you want this soup to have a creamier mouthfeel without adding dairy, at this point you can either 1. remove half the squash cubes and using a handheld immersion blender, blend what's left in the pot, then add the intact cubes back in. Or 2. you can add half the cubes to a high speed blender, puree, and add the puree into the soup pot.
  5. When the squash is tender, remove the bay leaves, then add the onions and sausage mixture back into the pot, add the beans, tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, sir to combine, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook for about 2 minutes to warm everything through. Seasoning Tip - Depending on if you used reduced sodium broth, and how salty the beans are (although you rinse them which removes most of the salt), the saltiness of the canned tomatoes, and your overall preference for salt, the amount of salt you add to the pot will vary. For me, less than 2 teaspoons causes this soup to taste bland. And if the soup tastes at all bland or boring, it means it could probably use more salt. So add more until you like the way it tastes, including more than 2 tsp if necessary. Squash is pretty bland on its own and needs proper seasoning to shine.
  6. Turn off the heat, add a couple big handfuls of baby spinach, the optional lemon juice (it really brightens up the overall flavor of the soup which needs a touch of acid for me so I always use it), and stir to combine to wilt the spinach, about 1-2 minutes.
  7. Serve immediately. If desired, you can garnish the soup with a variety of toppings which I discuss in the FAQs in the blog post. And/or a drizzle of heavy cream on top.

Notes

  • Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days or freeze up to 2-3 months.
  • Cool soup completely before freezing in individual or medium-sized containers for easy thawing.
  • Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove, adjusting time as needed.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 351kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 27g (9%) Protein 15g (30%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g (18%) Monounsaturated Fat 11g (55%) Trans Fat 0.1g (5%) Cholesterol 44mg (15%) Sodium 1687mg (70%) Potassium 751mg (16%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 10925IU (219%) Vitamin C 25mg (28%) Calcium 114mg (11%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 351

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 351kcal 18%
Carbohydrates 27g 9%
Protein 15g 30%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 11g 55%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 44mg 15%
Sodium 1687mg 70%
Potassium 751mg 16%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 10925IU 219%
Vitamin C 25mg 28%
Calcium 114mg 11%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.