pumpkin sausage soup

---

My wonderful mom made this for us and it's become a favorite at the House. It's soup-er easy and feels rich and homey without taking you into a food coma.

Everyone at the House of Nosh reeeeaally enjoyed this recipe, and that's saying a lot for a soup. Hearty. Savory. Rich. and somehow feels light at the same time? Perfect for these chilly winter months!

PRO TIP: toast a slice of the bread of your choice (we love multi-grain multi-seed breads) + slather garlic + herb compound butter on top. It's the perfect vehicle to dip in the soup and clean the bowl after. YOU WON'T REGRET THIS.

---

---

INGREDIENTS

• 1 LB fresh sausage (sweet + spicy italian...or whatever you have on hand like chorizo - adds more warming spices + turns into more of pumpkin chili, breakfast - a little more mild, etc. only requirement: sausage must crumble, not stay as a slice)

• 1 yellow/red onion, diced OR 2 shallots, diced

• 1 small red/yellow/orange bell pepper, diced

• 2-3 TBSP red pepper flakes / aleppo pepper (+more to taste)

• 1 (15 oz) whole can pumpkin puree

• 1 whole box of broth/stock (mushroom/chicken / beef / bone)

• 1/2 CUP heavy whipping cream (OR the cream in a can of coconut milk // don't shake the can, open and spoon out all of the cream aka head of the coconut milk and leave the water in can)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 TBSP butter

• pinch of salt (sausage provides a lot of savories here - salt to taste closer to the end of the cook) + peppa'

RECIPE

1. preheat a small dutch oven/medium pot on medium-high heat (don't add any fats until you've let that baby chill for at least 3-5 minutes on the heat)

2. once hot, throw in 1 TBSP of butter or ghee and start browning the onion/shallot and bell pepper together. let this begin browning for 2 minutes.

3. add the sausage to the mix and brown everything. you'll want to let the sausage cook all the way through in this step, and keep it a little chunkier (vs tiny taco size crumbles). trick - set it and forget it, then go back to continue crumbling + mixing. then - set it and forget it again. the meat needs time to sit on the heat + brown (the more you mix + move the meat the less direct heat which makes it hard to brown!)

4. add red pepper flake, tiny pinch of salt + peppa to the sausage mix. let that hang out in the pan for a minute or 2 before movin' along.

5. stir in the pumpkin puree, broth, and heavy cream to the seasoned sausage mix. add bay leaf. bring to boil then reduce to medium-low / low heat.

6. let everything marinate on the stovetop // simmer uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until the soup has thickened. stir occasionally while everything is reducing. taste + add more red pepper flakes. after 15-20 min, taste for salt + add more if needed. let it cook a little first though, the sausage has an inherently salty savory that the pumpkin will take in. Want it thicker? Keep this baby rollin' on the heat for another 30+ minutes.

//notes on the recipe//

If you don't love the thick pumpkin soup that we're going for here, opt for 1/2 can of pumpkin. But then you're left with the dreaded unused 1/2 can of pumpkin (as most recipes happen to leave you with), and who wants to waste that delicious creamy soup maker?? No judgment either way.

At The House, we prefer to the browned sausage in its fat vs straining after browning. All of those juices really build body in the soup and mix well with the pumpkin puree. BUT, if you hate meat fat, then you can certainly strain the browned meats + bell pepper + onion and throwback into the pot to kick off step 4 of the recipe. follow your heart.

this is great with a big piece of crusty toast. #carbs