smoked sausage, butternut squash & wild rice stew

You know what season it is? Stew season! When it’s snowy and cold and you have zero desire to step foot outside, and pretty much the only thing that sounds good is a warm dish of some sort that you can preferably eat out of a bowl. I made this smoked sausage, butternut squash and wild rice stew last week over the holidays and it definitely checked off all the boxes. My brother-in-law got my mom this BEAUTIFUL new stockpot for Christmas along with a handwritten recipe card (the stew)! I also was gifted by my fabulous mother a brand new TRIPOD to help with recipes, photos, and videos for my blog! So I would definitely say we took full advantage of playing with our presents over the holidays. :)

Stew is a perfect comfort food, and I guarantee you will love this recipe. It’s hearty, creamy, delicious and there’s just something about it that makes you feel warm and cozy inside. I’ve been having so much fun playing with my new tripod and experimenting with recipe videos, but I definitely still have a lot to learn! Apologizes in advance since some steps got cut out of the video, but I tried to fill it in with blurbs about what WOULD have been happening if my phone didn’t randomly shut off. ;)

I hope you enjoy!

Smoked Sausage, Butternut Squash & Wild Rice Stew

SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS

2 medium butternut squash, about 3 to 4 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

12 cups chicken stock

2 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 cup wild rice

3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 cups fresh corn kernels (I actually used frozen since corn isn’t it season and it still tasted great)

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Still nailing down the perfect lighting…..

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the squash with 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash with 2 cups of the chicken stock. Puree until smooth and set aside.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring 4 cups of the stock and 1/2 cup of the chopped onions to a simmer. Stir in the rice and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally with a fork. Remove the rice from the pan and cool. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and brown for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of onions and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of stock and squash puree. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the rice and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the half-and-half and reason with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve.