Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup
Creamy and hearty, perfect for cool weather.
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For most people soup season is in the fall and winter, but for soup lovers it’s all year long! This Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup is ideal for all kinds of weather. It combines the sweetness of butternut squash with the hearty flavor of sausage. It’s got a creamy, sweet flavor with plenty of veggies and that nutty flavor of wild rice. This filling soup has a little bit of everything for a tasty meal in a bowl.
To start this recipe we need to roast the butternut squash until it’s tender, adding some chopped carrot partway through the baking. If you want to add some other veggies to this step you can. Bell peppers, cauliflower, eggplant, or other types of squash would work well here. I tend to take soup recipe as suggestions since soup is one of the best recipes to use up odds and ends in the kitchen. And, it’s certainly great for harvest season when a bunch of veggies ripen all at the same time.
Once the squash has cooled a bit add it to the food processor to get a purée. Or add it to a large mixing bowl and use a stick blender. While the squash is baking we can start on the other ingredients.
Sauté the sausage and onions in a large stockpot. Once they are browned a bit scoop them out and use the same pot to cook the wild rice. Instead of water we’re using vegetable broth to infuse the rice with extra flavor. It’s a simple trick that works wonders in this recipe, but works especially well other rice dishes as well.
Wild rice is the firmer, more colorful cousin to white rice. It’s got a nutty, almost spiced flavor and a firm texture. The wild rice blend I used has a mix of black, white, and tan grains that make it visually interesting, too.
Once the individual components are cooked add them all to the stockpot along with some half and half to make this extra creamy and rich.
This Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup is warming and wholesome, with the flavors of fall in abundance.
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 medium butternut squash (3 to 4 lbs total), peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 8 cups vegetable stock, divided
- 2 small white onions, diced and divided
- 12 oz smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, roughly diced
- 1 cup wild rice
- 2 zucchini, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place butternut squash on lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and then add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes then add carrot. Return to oven to bake for 15-20 minutes more or until tender. Set aside to cool, then place in food processor with 2 cups broth and purée.
- While squash cooks add remaining olive oil to stockpot. Heat to medium then add sausage and half the onions. Cook for 4 minutes then add zucchini. Cook for 3 minutes or until sausage is browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In same pan add 4 cups stock and bring to low boil. Add rice, remaining onions, and garlic powder and cover. Cook on medium for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Pour remaining stock into stockpot. Bring to low boil. Then add in butternut squash puree, sausage and zucchini. Cook until all ingredients are heated through. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes then stir in half and half. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Food Network.
