Well fall is definitely here!! It’s cold and the perfect time for soup! This week’s recipe is my Tuscan Spicy Sausage Red Pepper Butternut Squash and White Bean version of a Tuscan Vegetable Bean soup. This soup is packed full of flavor and just enough heat to help with the sniffles and colds that this weather usually brings on. It’s basically a Tuscan veggie and bean soup that I have altered by adding some spicy lean turkey sausage and smoky roasted red peppers and sweet butternut squash to add a little more depth to the flavor profile. The butternut squash really helps tie in that wonderful fall feeling. It is also one of those great soups that can be switched up to meet your vegetarian or vegan needs! Simply omit the sausage and switch out the chicken birth for vegetable broth and you are done! I would recommend serving this with a nice loaf of crusty bread and a glass of red wine for a great dinner or make a big batch for the weekend and keep warm in your slow cooker for everyone to help themselves. Enjoy!!
- 1 pack spicy turkey sausage casing removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 red pepper roasted over a flame and diced
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- ½ cup finely diced onions
- 1/2 cup finely diced carrots
- 1 cup cubed butternut squash
- 1cup finely diced zucchini
- 1 cup finely diced broccoli
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), with their liquid
- 1tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage meat onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes until the meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and dried red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, wine beans and their liquid, thyme, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and boil about 3-4 minutes Reduce to a bare simmer, add all the veggies and cook another 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
