Creamy, rich, and flavorful butternut squash soup. With Italian sausage and baby shiitake mushrooms and topped with goat cheese crumble.
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There is just something about a warm bowl of soup on a mild fall day. Soup is one of my favorite foods to enjoy for so many reasons; easy to make, flavorful, and so comforting. I am usually enjoying a hearty chicken soup or a cream of mushroom soup but butternut squash is such a great fall flavor that is fun to cook with.
Currently, in Oregon, it doesn’t feel like fall even though it is only a little more than a week away. It has been hotter than normal, no rain (which is extremely rare), and high winds. These conditions have created wildfires across the state. The damage has been devastating.
We are located about ten miles from a couple of wildfires and have had the car packed up just in case we need to evacuate. It has created very ominous skies and a constant blanket of amber color. It is safe to say that we are doing the rain dance every day. C’mon rain!
So it may not feel like fall, or really feel like real life but I have never craved comfort food more and this soup is just that. It is also full of the classic fall flavors so I will just close my eyes as I sip and pretend it is fall 😆
This recipe was inspired by the classic butternut squash soup recipe that you see everywhere. A delicious, sweet, and smooth soup that is slightly sweet. I wanted to build off of that and create a savory soup that blends together with that classic sweet butternut flavor.
A mild Italian sausage (or spicy if you like it a little hot) blends with the sweetness of the butternut squash perfectly. Every bite is savory and sweet. I originally planned to put broccolini for a little green but decided that buttery mushrooms would go so much butter.
The baby shiitake mushrooms add a lot of flavor! Baby shiitake mushrooms are my go-to mushrooms. They are a little more spendy but so worth it! I use them in most of my recipes that call for mushrooms because they have such a woodsy and buttery flavor. Both soups I mentioned above call for them and they are so good on this spicy sausage and mushroom white pizza.
To lay the fall flavors on thick, the soup starts with sauteed shallots, onions, and sage leaves. Your house will smell amazing! This is a thicker soup, if you like a thinner soup add more chicken stock or heavy cream.
If you don’t load on the toppings, is it really soup? I love to top my soups with extra flavors and this soup is no different. I added a drizzle of heavy cream and a sprinkling of goat cheese crumbles. Try parsley or roasted pumpkin seeds.
Butternut Squash Soup with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream - or whole milk
- 1 pound italian sausage
- 10-12 baby shitake mushrooms, chopped - or crimini mushrooms
- Salt & pepper
- Goat cheese crumbles - for topping
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the shallots and onion and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the sage leaves and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Add the butternut squash, salt and brown sugar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regualarly until slightly soft.
- Pour in the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 30-35 minutes or until squash is soft.
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Blend the soup in batches until very smooth. Set aside.
- Add the Italian sausage to the dutch oven and cook over medium heat breaking the sausage into pieces. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until just before done.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and sausage is completely cooked, about 4 minutes.
- Turn down to low and add the butternut squash soup back to the dutch oven and stir with sasuage and mushroom until completely mixed. Cook together for another 10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and top with heavy cream and goat cheese crumbles.
