Butternut Squash & Sausage Soup

Sonja and her adorable girls came to visit this summer, and she was kind enough to share this soup recipe with me...thanks, Sonja!

Sonja with her girls, Paige and Morgan.

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 butternut squash, roasted and cubed (per Sonja's suggestion, I got the 2 lb. package of prepared butternut squash at Costco. It saved me so much time!)
2 cans Cannelini beans
1 package Hillshire Farms turkey kielbasa sausage
A couple handfuls of chopped kale (I used spinach because that's what I had in the fridge)
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Quarter the sausage into bite-size pieces..
3. Prepare the butternut squash; if you don't purchase it pre-cubed, click here for roasting directions. Roast until tender, approximately 20 minutes.

4. Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the thyme and stir.
6. Add the beans, squash cubes and sausage, and stir to combine.

7. Add the chicken broth and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

8. Remove from heat and add the kale, stirring until wilted. 

9. Stir in the cider vinegar, salt and pepper (to taste).
10. I served it with a dollop of sour cream.