Welcome

Welcome to my Western Pennsylvania garden. Join me on a "Walk Down the Garden Path".

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sausage and Butternut Squash Stew

In conjunction with A Way To Garden and Dinner Tonight's continuing food fest, I am posting one of my favorite fall recipes ~ Sausage and Butternut Squash Stew. The topic of the food fest being winter squash and pumpkins of course.

Unfortunately, all my squash were eaten by beasts roaming my garden at night. But there is always a great selection in the store and farmer's markets this time of year. So if you end up with some Butternuts and you want a different way to cook them, try this recipe. It's an easy crock-pot one too! Feel free to add whatever vegetables you like to this stew. I've used sweet potatoes before in place of the squash and it turned out just fine.

Sausage and Butternut Squash Stew
From "giant book of super nutritious recipes" by Carol Heding Munson, Sandra L. Woodruff, and Bob Schwiers

1 1/2 pound Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 medium potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 slender carrots, sliced diagonally 3/4 inch thick, or 12 baby carrots
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free beef broth
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 pound low-fat turkey sausage or light kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and thickly sliced
4 small onions, halved
1/4 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Snipped fresh parsley, for garnish

Combine the squash, potatoes, carrots, beans, broth, vinegar, pepper, and rosemary in an electric slow cooker.

Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the onions and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage and onions to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended, 6 to 8 hours. In a measuring cup, mix the water and cornstarch, and pour the mixture into the stew. Mix well and heat (should be boiling) until the liquid has thickened. Garnish with parsley.

12 comments:

DP Nguyen said...

That stew seems so simple and so delicious. I don't have butternut squash, but I might substitute it for sweet potatoes.

tina said...

Sounds like a YUMMY comfort food! I love sausage very much.

Gail said...

I love this soup or versions of it! Thank you for posting it, I spent some time last winter looking for one to substitute for the restaurant that shut down and took their squash and sausage soup with them!

gail

Kathy said...

That does sound like a good recipe, but my crew would consider it a poor use of butternut squash.

Eve said...

This sounds like a wonderful cold weather meal. I have actually never tasted winter squash. I'm not sure if they sell it here on the Coast but they probably do. I am going to look for it. Being Southern, sausage is part of our DNA. : )

Cindy said...

DP ~ I think you'll like it with the sweet potatoes.

Tina ~ Sausage is just so tasty, isn't it?

Gail ~ Oh, I hate when a favorite restaurant shuts down. I think it's hard to find good non-chain places to eat, there just aren't enough of them.

Kathy ~ Is it the lack of marshmellows ? haha

Eve ~ you should look for it. You don't know what you are missing with the winter squash. It's very tasty.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a real comfort type meal for a fall evening. Thanks for the great recipe. :)

joey said...

Yum! I taste autumn and will tuck this away.

Rose said...

This sounds yummy and so simple! I'm always looking for new soup or stew recipe ideas; I'll definitely try this one.
Sorry I haven't been around for a few days--my computer has crashed. But sounds like things have been much worse for you--do you have your power back on?

Anonymous said...

The recipe sounds great. I don't ahve homegrown squash, but I can still make this stew!

TC said...

I'm not a big fan of eatin squashy stuff, and I like my sausage with biscuits and gravy. But hey, if y'all like it... ;~)

Cindy said...

PGL ~ I can't believe it is almost fall. Enjoy the recipe.

Joey ~ It'll be perfect on a cool fall day.

Rose ~ I hope you're computer is doing better now. I understand as we have been busy too, cleaning up and other fall chores.

Jan ~ I haven't any homegrown squash either, but that doesn't stop me :)

TC ~ Spoken (written?) like a true Southerner. To each his own :)