Butternut Squash, Kale and Italian Sausage Soup

Happy Weekend All!  The one thing I love about winter is the way it makes me crave soup and how much better soups tastes on a cold, rainy day.  This Butternut, Kale and Sausage Soup was exactly what came to mind when I woke on up a drizzly morning. Yep, I totally made this before I went to work because who doesn’t wake up thinking about what they are going to have for lunch.  I am kinda picky when it comes to soup.  It needs to be hearty, delicious with layers of flavor (read to mean homemade, not canned), and scoopable (it’s totally a word, I promise lol) with fun things to eat in it that make you want to keep going back for more.  Kale is probably one of my favorite things to add to soup as it holds its texture quite nicely and fresh herbs plus crushed red pepper flakes are a must in my cookbook.

The butternut squash adds sweet cubes of deliciousness that pair so well with the spicy sausage, tangy tomatoes, chilies and the slightly crunchy kale.  The rosemary gives it that bright flavor that makes people think you’ve cooked this soup for hours, not minutes.

Happy Scooping!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, KALE AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage Links (about 12 oz.)
• 1 leek, cleaned and sliced using white and green parts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz can diced tomato with green chilies (I used Rotel)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 12 oz cubed butternut squash (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
• 2 cups kale, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, diced
• Dashes of sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Spray a large stock pot with nonstick spray and heat over medium heat.  Add the sausage, garlic and leek, cooking until sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, butternut squash, kale and rosemary.  Cook until the squash is soft, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/2 cups per serving, 4 Smart Points per serving

Nutritional Information per serving, includes vegetables (reduce by 1 smart point if you exclude them) calculated at caloriecount.com

You know the other thing that makes me love this soup ~ You get 1 1/2 cups for only 4 Weight Watchers Smart Points and that my friends, is just plain awesome.  It gave me room for 1 tablespoon of peanut that I happily scooped up with a cup of carrots and celery on the side.

I added a few salt & pepper cucumber chips (0 points) for good measure. Lunches for 7 points make me happy!

Have a fantastic week all!  It’s going to be a busy one with my birthday celebrations 😀 which started today and work so I’ll catch up with you all later.