Roasted Butternut Squash, Italian Sausage, and Kale Soup

I needed to bring soup to an event at church and had a few different cravings rumbling around in my mind. This is the result of what I had on hand paired with those cravings.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and diced (medium dice)

Olive oil

Salt & freshly ground pepper

2 tsp. ground sage

2 lbs. bulk mild Italian sausage, browned and broken up, drain on paper towels

2 onions, diced

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. turmeric

2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

8-10 C chicken broth

2-3 bay leaves

6-8 C chopped kale (I prefer Tuscan Kale, aka dinosaur kale)

shredded Parmesan for sprinkling on each serving, if desired

Toss the diced squash in a large bowl with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt and pepper, and sage. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven at 375 degrees until softened and slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes.

In a large soup pan, sauté the onions over medium heat in 1 Tbsp. olive oil until just beginning to brown. Add garlic, stirring, and allow to cook for 2-ish minutes before adding the turmeric, Italian seasoning, oregano, and red pepper flakes, stirring until the spices become fragrant. Add the chicken broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the good bits. Add bay leaves, cooked sausage, roasted squash, kale, and salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat to high and bring to a light boil, then turn down to simmer and cook, stirring, for 20-30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on each serving.