Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage with Maple Crema

Simple.  Delicious.  Sweet.  Spicy. Hearty.  

If you've made soup before you've probably tried version of this soup.  I see it on menus all the time especially this time of year.  I've made it a handful of times and this version is by far my favorite.  Call me a sucker for some good sausage.  Or maybe just the simplicity and letting the fresh veggies and quality stock.  

This recipe only has a few ingredients but it is built on a solid chicken stock.  We have our recipe over here on how you can make your own.  I think some of the keys to a good stock is getting a good pressure cooker, because who has time to cook stock for 48 hours.  Also chicken feet!  Yup I said it, chicken feet.  The collagen from all the connective tissue in chicken feet add a richness that nearly impossible to get any other way.   Just try and thank me later.  You can find chicken feet at most groceries.  I've seen them at every Asian market that I've ever been to also.  

To make this soup even better and because we like pretty pictures, we added a maple crema.  Sound fancy but it basically is just a dairy product mixed with something else that is liquid.  Calling it that is just my inner chef coming out.  Or maybe it is from watching too many episodes of Top Chef!  Either way it is delicious and makes this dish well rounded.  Sweet from the apple and maple, slightly smokey from the sausage, and a hint of spice from the cayenne.  So good!

We would love to hear from you if and when you try this and what you think.  

Ingredients

Soup Ingredients

• 1/2 pound pork sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• Medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 apples, seeded and chopped
• 6 cups of chicken broth or enough to cover soup ingredients
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Maple Crema Ingredients

• 3 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp almond milk
  
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
  
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  

1. In a large dutch oven add your sausage and cook over medium heat.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and a lot of the fat has rendered out.  
2. Remove the sausage from pot, add the onion and cook until transucent, roughly 6-8 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients other than the cayenne pepper to the pot and bring to boil.  Once it is boiling reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes.
4. While the soup is simmering, mix the Maple Crema ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick.  Transfer the soup to a blender and blend to remove all chunks from the soup.    Make sure you remove the top plastic piece of your blender when you are blending hot items to ensure you don't have an explosion of soup.  Our Vitamix is naturally vented.  
6. If you are eating right away go ahead and pour directly into bowls.  If not go ahead and return to the pot and simmer as long as needed, stirring occasionally.  
7. Add 1/4 cup of sausage to each bowl then drizzle with Maple Crema and if you like a little spice add a dash of cayenne pepper.