When my kids decide that they actually LIKE asparagus,
When they are a little more adventurous for new flavors,
When my husband won’t be home for dinner,
When I’ve been at doctors appointments or shopping all day,
When I have some left over rice and pumpkin puree in the fridge,
THIS is what I make!
(Well, at least that’s what I did last night)
This soup was a really fun way to have some varied textures and flavors. While I used my pumpkin as a puree (since that is what I had), it would be equally delicious with diced pumpkin or squash.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 TBS EVOO
- 2-3 cups of pumpkin puree or 2-3 cups of peeled and diced pumpkin or hard winter squash
- 1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup uncooked rice or 2- 2 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 TBS ground or rubbed sage
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt as needed
Instructions
- Cook up the sausage and drain it, setting it aside.
- In a large pot, heat the Olive Oil on medium high, then cook the onions until translucent. Add the Garlic.
- Add the sausage, and then add the chicken broth, as well as the bay leaf and the sage.
- If using uncooked rice and or diced pumpkin/squash, add these now and boil gently for 20 minutes or so, until the rice is cooked and the squash is tender
- Bring the broth mix to a gentle boil, then add the asparagus and pumpkin puree (if using).
- Add the rice (if using cooked rice), and bring back to a simmer.
- Add the cream or milk and the cheese just before serving.
- Add the pepper, and add salt as needed.
Feel free to experiment with added vegetables! Had I thought of it or had the ingredients, I would have added some carrots and kale also. All in all, it was delicious, and I was delighted to see my small children, ages 1, 3, 6, and 7 shoveling in some vegetable goodness into their little mouths!
