Sausage, Squash and White Bean Stew

Every year as the season slowly changes from summer to autumn, as I feel the cool crispness in the morning air, I find myself craving comforting soups and all things pumpkin.

I recently signed up for a CSA produce delivery box from Farm Fresh to You which has encouraged me to cook with veggies I normally wouldn't pick out myself at the grocery store, like Lacinato kale and acorn squash.

The inspiration for this stew was actually a ribollita soup because I had a big bag of ciabatta bread I needed to use up but I discovered this morning that it was already too late. What resulted instead is a creamy, hearty, and incredibly delicious stew packed with protein and veggies. I served it with garlic bread and I would highly recommend you do the same.

Sausage, Squash and White Bean Stew Recipe

Ingredients

1 acorn squash (butternut and kabocha squash would also work)
1 white onion
3 stalks of celery
3 carrots
4 cloves of garlic
1 package mild pork sausage in the casing
3 leaves of kale, de-ribbed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
Parmesan cheese with rind
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans
2 cups broth
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Garlic bread (I loved this one from Costco)

Directions

1. Cut the acorn squash in half, scoop out and discard the seeds, drizzle the inside of each half with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until fork tender (I used the air fry setting on my toaster oven at 350 for 15 minutes). Peel, cube and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, small dice the onion, carrot and celery. Heat some olive oil in a soup pot and add the veggies. Mince the garlic and add to the pot. Add the acorn squash and stir.

3. Squeeze the pork sausage out of the casing and into the pot with the veggies. Add another drizzle of olive oil and break the sausage up into small pieces as it cooks. As you cook the sausage, the squash won't hold its shape and will get mashed. This is exactly what we want. Don't hesitate to mash the squash on purpose because we want it to blend into the soup once we add the broth.

4. Once the sausage is cooked, add the kale and cook for a minute. Pour in the broth (I used beef but you can use whatever you have on hand). Rinse and drain the beans and add them to the pot.

5. Cut off the rind from the Parmesan cheese and add it to the soup. This will add amazing flavor and creaminess as the soup simmers. Season with pepper. I didn't add any extra salt because the sausage, cheese and broth were salty enough for my taste.

6. With the heat on medium, bring the soup up to a boil then turn to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Prepare your garlic bread or any other side.

7. To serve, grate Parmesan cheese over the top and pop a piece of garlic bread into this incredible stew jacuzzi. Stewcuzzi!

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you thought in the comments!