Butternut Squash & Tortellini Soup

This is hands down my favorite soup this season! I started with a classic I have enjoyed for the past few years, made a few changes and oh my goodness it is so good! Bonus, it can be done all in one pot if you want less cleanup. I used two pans total; however, I still have some tips for ways to make it easy clean up.

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Ready to begin?

This soup recipe makes 6-8 servings and will take about 30-40 minutes in all from start to finish. Using a pan like this or my exact pot pictured above makes the process quick and easy as well!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Spicy Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
• 1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1/2 sweet yellow or white onion diced
• 1 bag frozen (or fresh) cheese filled tortellini
• 3 handfuls of spinach
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 4 tsp. (or 5 cloves) diced garlic
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes (5-6 oz.)
• Salt and pepper as needed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

Directions

1. Start by prepping your butternut squash. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Then, cut your squash into 1/2″ cubes, toss in olive oil and salt and pepper before spreading out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I have linked the pan and paper that makes cleanup a snap. Place pan in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the you can easily stab with a fork.

2. While the squash cooks, place your sausage in the Dutch Oven pot and cook through and break into crumbles. I use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage because it already has a lot of seasonings added such as chili flakes that add a little heat but not too much that my kids cannot enjoy it.

3. Once the meat is cooked through, set onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain some of the grease off. I realize the are many ways to drain oil from meat, but this is easy when it comes to a heavy pot, but also this allows the pot to be free for other ingredients at this part of the process.

4. Add diced onion and a tsp of butter, cook 1-2 minutes on medium heat before adding two heaping teaspoons of diced garlic. cook another 1-2 minutes. Add in seasonings, paprika, fresh thyme and Italian seasoning.

5. Next add in your liquid, broth and water, and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the tomato paste and the half of the can of diced tomatoes and roasted squash. Keep the soup at a medium boil and add in the bag of tortellini and return the sausage to the pot. This should cook until noodles are al dente for this particular soup as the noodles will continue to absorb the liquid over time.

6. When the noodles are cooked, add 2-3 handfuls of spinach (or more) and stir into the soup mix. Don’t worry, it will wilt down! Top with 3/4 cups of heavy cream and stir. Give the entire mixture a few more minutes to wilt the spinach and warm through before serving. Top soup with parmesan cheese and even some broken crostini’s if you have them for a little crunch and enjoy!

Put this soup on the menu with any side salad, cheese plate and Mummy Cupcakes for a delicious fall dinner or Halloween night meal. Pairs well with a red wine or seasonal cocktail too.

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