If you’ve ever grown squash you know the biggest problem is figuring out what to do with all of it. Or if you’ve ever known someone who has grown squash, they’ve probably tried pawning some off on you. Squash is a great vegetable to grow–easy, low-maintenance, and bountiful. But it can be difficult trying to use that bounty before it goes bad. This Summer Squash and Sausage Soup is an excellent solution to that problem.
The Joys of Soup
Soups are one of my favorite things to make. I love how adaptable and forgiving they are. Have some extra veggies you need to use? Throw ’em in there! Need to swap out one of the ingredients? Go for it. Feel like eyeballing amounts rather than making a bunch of measuring cups and spoons dirty? Your soup will probably still turn out yummy. Soups are a great canvas for culinary creativity. And they provide an excellent way to use up a variety of ingredients, which is exactly how this Summer Squash and Sausage soup–or, as I like to call it, “Cleaning Out the Fridge Soup”–was born.
Summer Squash and Sausage Soup
This Summer Squash and Sausage soup is highly adaptable. I made it using the vegetables I already had and needed to use–zucchini and yellow squash, onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. These can easily be swapped out for any other vegetables you may have on hand (peas, green beans, spinach, etc.). The cannellini beans can be replaced with any other can of beans you have in your pantry (kidney, navy, garbanzo, you name it). I used hot Italian sausage because I had some leftover after a camping trip, but any variety of sausage (or even meatballs) will do. I used fresh herbs from my garden to add flavor but dried herbs will do as well–just keep in mind that dried herbs tend to have a more concentrated flavor, so you don’t need to add quite as much.
Because it’s made to use up a lot of ingredients, this recipe makes a large pot of soup, about 8 servings. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you want a smaller batch!
