Sausage, Squash & Wild Rice Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 (1 1/2-2 lb) butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• fresh ground black pepper
• 12 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup wild rice
• 3/4 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 in. chunks (such as kielbasa)
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400 degrees f. season the squash with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper. place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour. remove from the oven and cool completely. peel and seed the squash. in a blender, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. puree until smooth and set aside. (skip this step entirely if you are using frozen squash).
• 2 in a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. set aside to cool.
• 3 in a large soup pan over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. when the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. add the remaining 2 cups onions and corn. season with salt and pepper. saute for 3 minutes.
• 4 add the squash puree and remaining 6 cups of broth. bring to a boil. reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. skim off any fat that rises to the surface.
• 5 stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. remove from heat, stir in the cream and season to taste.