Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup - Instant Pot

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Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup - Instant Pot

Yield: 10

Author: Sage & Sesame

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

This soup is rich in sweet and spicy flavors when using spicy italian sausage and sweet butternut squash. It is an excellent starter or cosy meal at the end of an autumn evening. I’m always looking for new ways to use all the incredible squash I get from my CSA farm share. This is my favorite recipe from my experiments with squash this year.

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp of fresh ginger (or a frozen ginger cube)
• 1 lb ground Italian sausage (hot sausage or sweet sausage with casing removed)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium butternut squash (1.5 lbs)
• 2 medium apples (peeled and cored)
• 2 carrots
• 1 can great northern beans (or cannellini beans)
• 1 can of Rotel (or any diced tomatoes with chiles)
• 5 cups chopped Green or Savoy Cabbage
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can of light coconut milk
• 8 tsp Heavy Cream and 3 sprigs Parsley for garnish

Instructions

Step 1: Preparing the Butternut Squash

1. This is a 2 step recipe. Step 1 is to prepare the whole butternut squash for the recipe. You can skip step number one if you don’t want to prepare your butternut squash raw. This will take a little longer in cutting, peeling and de-seeding the butternut squash, but will save a short pressure cooking cycle.
2. Add 1/2 cup water to your instant pot
3. Place Trivet in your Instant Pot with feet side down
4. Place your butternut squash in your instant pot whole or if it doesn’t fit sliced in half.
5. Set pot to pressure cook on high pressure for 3 minutes
6. Once pressure cooking is complete you can preform a fast release
7. Remove your butternut squash from the pot with tongs and handle carefully because it will be hot. Once cool enough or using a pot holder to stabilize the squash, remove the skin using a potato peeler or cutting it away from the butternut squash flesh.
8. Cut the butternut squash in half if it’s not already cut. With one half of the squash cut it into cubes. With the other half of the squash cut it into four to six large chunks.
9. Rinse your inner pot and dry off the bottom. Return the inner pot to the instant pot

Step 2: Prepare Soup

1. Turn your instant pot to the sauté function to heat up the pot
2. Dice 1 yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic in your express chopper, food processor or by hand and place in your instant pot
3. Sauté for 3 minutes
4. Add 1 tsp of fresh ginger (or a frozen ginger cube) to the pot
5. Add 1 lb ground sausage to the pot without casing
6. brown sausage 5 minutes while breaking apart with a wooden spatula. For this step you can use ground sausage which you can find at your grocery store. It comes without casing in a block like ground beef would come. If you cannot find this at your local grocery store then you can use sausage in casings. Just remove the casing by peeling it off the sausage before placing the sausage in the pot. You will want to break the sausage up so you don’t have large chunks in your soup. If you are having trouble breaking it up, you can put it in your Ninja Express Food Chopper or similar food processor to break it up.
7. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and 1 bay leaf to the pot
8. Add smaller diced chunks of butternut squash to the pot
9. Cut your 2 carrots into 1/4 inch rounds and place in the pot
10. Add 1 can great northern beans (or cannellini beans) that have been drained and rinsed to the pot
11. Add 1 can of Rotel (or any diced tomatoes with chiles) to the pot
12. Add 5 cups chopped Green or Savoy Cabbage to the pot. You can also use chopped kale in place of the cabbage
13. Add 4 cups chicken broth to the pot
14. 1 can of coconut milk (regular or light) to the pot
15. Place your 2 medium apples that have been peeled and cored and cut into quarter to the pot
16. Place your large chunks of butternut squash to the pot
17. We want the apples and large chunks of butternut squash on the top of the pot so we can pull them out when they are done cooking to purée. This will give our broth a thicker consistency
18. Place the instant pot lid on the lid and set the pot to pressure cook for 20 minutes
19. Once pressure cooking is complete, do a quick release
20. Remove the large chunks of butternut squash and apple that you left on the top of the soup along with 1 cup of liquid from the pot. You can hold a cup at the top of the pot just below the water line to filter the liquid without all the veggies into the cup. You just need enough liquid to purée the squash and apple. You can puree in a vitamix or blender or using an immersion blender.
21. Once puréed pour back into the pot and stir until combined
22. Serve hot with a drizzle of heavy cream as a garnish
23. Add salt and pepper to taste

Nutrition Facts

Calories

339.97

Fat

18.83 g

Sat. Fat

8.68 g

Carbs

31.84 g

Fiber

6.66 g

Net carbs

25.16 g

Sugar

8.8 g

Protein

12.65 g

Sodium

973.97 mg

Cholesterol

40.87 mg

This nutritional information has been calculated by a 3rd party and has not been verified

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Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup, Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup Instant Pot, Instant Pot Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup

Dinner, Appetizer, Side Dish, Lunch

American

Yum

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Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup

With my CSA Farm Share, in the fall I get A LOT of squash and A LOT of cabbage and Kale, so sometimes I make this recipe with cabbage and sometimes with Kale. It’s delicious both ways. I also often substitute buttercup squash in place of the buttnut squash.

This soup is rich in sweet and spicy flavors when using spicy italian sausage and sweet butternut squash. It is an excellent starter or cosy meal at the end of a chilly fall evening. I love a smooth creamy butternut squash soup as well, but I’m always looking for new ways to use all the incredible squash I get from my CSA farm share. This is my favorite recipe from my experiments with squash this year.

Do I cook the butternut squash first?

I do not fully cook my butternut squash first when making this butternut squash soup with sausage recipe, but I do par or pre cook the squash in the instant pot before assembling the soup to make the squash easier to peel and de-seed.

Before I had an instant pot I used to shy away from winter squashes. I found them very hard to work with. With such tough skin I would take so long to cut the skin off and de-seed them. Since getting the instant pot, I always pre-cook my squash for 3 minutes before cutting it up for a recipe. If it fits in the instant pot whole, then I just put it in on a trivet with a 1/2 cup of water and cook it for 3 minutes. If it doesn’t fit, then I will cut it in half or thirds if necessary to fit it in. I do not de-seed it before putting it in the pot. After 3 minutes of cooking time, the skin will soften enough that you can use a potato peeler to de-skin it. You can then cut the squash into chunks around the seed cavity so you don’t have to spend any time de-seeding it either. This is a big time saver when working with winter squash like butternut squash, buttercup squash and pumpkin. I also cook my spaghetti squash in the instant pot as well, but for that squash I do de-seed it before putting it into the pot so that when it’s done I can just shred the squash with a fork to make a low carb spaghetti alternative.

Do I need a potato peeler?

I honestly thought that everyone had a potato peeler until I went to a friends parents house the other day. It was the 4th of July and they were having a get together at their lake house on Silver Lake in New York. I brought veggies and fruit and was making a charcuterie board. I couldn’t find a potato peeler to peel the cucumbers I had brought from my garden. I asked my friends mom where she kept her potato peeler. She said “what is that”? I said “the kitchen tool you use to peel potatoes and apples and cucumbers and all things that need peeling”. She said “I don’t have one of those”. I couldn’t believe this wasn’t a standard thing that everyone uses. I guess some people like skin more than me. Lol. Anyways, to answer the question “do I need a potato peeler”? My answer is Yes, absolutely yes, I think a potato peeler, and a GOOD one is a kitchen necessity. These are my favorites…

How do I saute in the Instant Pot?

Most electric pressure cookers have a saute button on them. You can use this function to saute right in the pot. When you click the saute button, the pot will turn on and start heating up the inner pot. Once the pot is hot you will use it to saute just as you would if you were sautéing on the stove. You can saute in butter or your favorite oil. I stick to olive or avocado oil or butter depending on the dish. I find that yellow onions let off enough liquid to saute dry or just with a little olive oil cooking spray if you are really trying to watch how much fat you add to dishes. I do not use much fat when sauteeing vegetables and garlic. Even when recipes call for it, I try to use as little as possible so I don’t end up with a greasy dish.

Is the Purée Step Necessary

The purée step in this recipe is used to make a nice thick broth for the soup. Instead of using a thickener that is high in carbs like flour or corn starting I choose to purée the butternut squash in this recipe. I use my Vitamix e320 Blender for this step but you can use any blender.

See our article on the Vitamix e320 Blender for more information on this versatile Vitamix model.

Can I make make this recipe with other squashes?

Yes, I often make this same recipe with buttercup squash. Butternut squash is a little sweeter than buttercup. Buttercup squash has a nuttier flavor than butternut squash. You can do all the steps the same way when using buttercup squash.

Can I freeze butternut squash soup

I recommend eating chunkier soups fresh, but if you have leftover soup that you won’t eat before they go bad, then you can certainly freeze it. Make sure you let the soup cool all the way before freezing. Place it in a container or freezer bag that has room in it for expansion. The soup will expand when froze.

Can I use Turkey sausage or Plant Based Sausage for this Butternut squash soup recipe?

Yes, turkey sausage and plant based sausage can be used. They should be able to be cooked in the same manner, but always check the products cooking instructions for full details on how to cook it. I haven’t worked with the plant based sausages much so I’m not sure how the texture will hold up if put in for the entire pressure cooking cycle. If it’s not conducive to pressure cooking, then you could cook it on the stove and add it to the pot after pressure cooking has finished.

Do I have to use spicy sausage for this Butternut Squash Soup recipe?

You can use any sausage you would like for this recipe. I have tried this recipe with hot Italian sausage, turkey sausage and sweet Italian sausage, all with great results.

What should I serve with Butternut squash soup?

This is a hearty soup meal in itself. This hot soup can be served with warm crusty bread and butter, but if you want to serve a smaller serving of soup with another dish I always like a soup and salad meal or a soup and sandwich meal.

For a Soup and Sandwich Meal try these delicious combinations:

Butternut Squash and Sausage soup with Gouda Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Butternut Squash and Sausage soup with Cheese Chicken Melt Sandwich

For a Soup and Salad Meal try these fall inspired combinations:

Butternut squash and sausage soup with Crumbled Blue Cheese and Candied Cranberries Salad

Butternut squash and sausage soup with a Fresh Cobb salad, with crumbled blue cheese, hard boiled egg, walnuts and Candied Apples.

If serving your butternut squash soup as an appetizer and looking for a main dish to go with your squash soup consider these main dishes:

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta

Smoked Ham with Green Beans with Garlic and Almonds

Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Great Fall Side Dishes

Spicy Savoy Cabbage in the Instant Pot

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crumbled Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Butternut Squash Soup Toppings

This is not a traditional smooth puréed butternut squash soup so I recommend topping this soup with only a bit of heavy cream (optional) and parsley. Some (like me) also like freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

That said, when cooking a traditional butternut squash soup you can top with a drizzle of cream, pine nuts, papitas, a sprinkle of dried curry powder and salt and pepper.

Where to purchase Butternut Squash?

You can get butternut squash and all winter squash at your local supermarket, but if you belong to a CSA Farm Share or have a local farmers market close to you I recommend getting your squash there. At my CSA, you don’t have to be a member of the farm share to get fresh veggies there. They have extras in the barn for anyone to buy. You can try there or at your local farmers market or at a road side farm stand. I recommend getting your squash there because it will be fresh. Winter squash are a fall crop but they are called winter squash because they can last well into the winter so a fall bounty can be enjoyed well into the winter. It’s January here in cold a snowy Buffalo, NY and I still have an entire pantry full of spaghetti squash, delicate squash, mashed potato squash, butternut squash and buttercup squash all from my summer and fall CSA farm share.

Different Kinds of Squash

Ever confused by the different kinds of squash available and what to do with them? This year at my Farm share I got 3 kinds of squash I had never heard of before. Mashed Potato Squash, Delicata Squash and Buttercup Squash. When I got them home I looked them all up and some of what they were called at the farm, didn’t really match up to the pictures online, so I’ve done my fair share of sifting through seed catalogs to try to figure out the different kinds of squash this fall.

I have been experimenting with all the ones I brought home from the farm so I hope to provide some clarity and some delicious recipes for each below!

Butternut Squash

Buttercup Squash

Mashed Potato Squash

Acorn Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Delicata Squash

Kamocha

Why is there no butter or olive oil used for sautéing the onions and garlic?

When I am making a recipe with a fattier meat like Italian sausage, I do not add additional fat for sautéing. I start sautéing the onions and garlic in their own juices to get them heated up and then sauté them in the fat that is released from the browning sausage. I do this just to not add unnecessary fat to my recipes, but if you prefer to sauté in butter or oil, you can do so. I would just suggest you drain off some of the fat before continuing with the recipe if the sausage is a fattier variety

Not sure how to saute in the instant pot? See our article on Instant Pot Saute for detailed instructions.

Can I make this recipe vegetarian?

Yes, you can use vegetable broth and eliminate the sausage from this recipe. If you are eliminating the meat then I would add red pepper flakes to add some spice and I would also add some mushrooms that have been ground in the ninja express chopper or food processor to add a similar texture that the sausage brings to the soup.

Can this butternut squash soup recipe be made in the slow cooker?

Yes, follow the recipe exactly the same, but I would recommend running the sausage through the ninja express chopper or food processor before putting it in the slow cooker. Since you won’t be sautéing the sausage and onion and garlic, I would break the sausage up very good prior to cooking. I don’t like to get a large chunk of sausage on my spoon. I prefer it to be spread well out in the soup for the best texture and flavor. Cook for 4 hours.

Can Dogs Eat Butternut Squash

Dr. Klein from ACK.org indicates that butternut squash is healthy for dogs as long as the skin, rind and seeds have been removed. See the full article here: Can Dogs Eat Butternut Squash by ACK.org. My dog loves pumpkin and squash so when ever I make this I save some of the squash for him. You can make some fun pup-sickles or pup-treats with the squash as well.

Other Great Soup Recipes

Gluten Free Minestrone Soup

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