Spicy Tomatillo, Sausage + Butternut Squash Soup
Some of my favorite Shields family memories are tied heavily to the tastes of home. Those family traditions rooted in foods that spark cravings when certain holidays or milestones come around. My mom's shortbread during Christmas, her signature prosciutto chicken for at home celebrations, or just the distinct taste of her chocolate chip cookies. & then there were our other go-to meals, like pizza on Fridays or a bowl of chili on Halloween night. They were those at home foods that were consistent, and delicious, and just a fun add-on to a well established holiday. Like I'm already lobbying to be entrusted with Christmas Eve dinner because I want to bring that signature taste of home that I grew up loving on that day. & I love picking Jordan's brain about the tastes of home that he so keenly remembers, and it’s a question I bring up to spark the creative juices in creating our own tastes of home. The two of us cook so many different meals in our house (it's the land of experimentation over here) that we very rarely have a repeat meal.
We're constantly building up our own food traditions at home Those dishes that you always make for certain occasions, or certain times of year, because it feels obligatory, but in a really good way. I call them my “must make” recipes. I look forward to making year after year, & they’re special. One such Fall item: this Spicy Tomatillo, Sausage + Butternut Squash Soup. It’s so fresh, so full of spicy Mexican flavors, and so perfect for a cozy night in. A homemade tomatillo salsa is the base for the soup, and it brings a bright and tangy flavor that also gives the soup a fun green color that makes it a little Halloween festive (a little "ghoul-ish" if you know what I mean). It looks real fun, & it's loaded with tender chunks of butternut squash, hominy, & spicy sausage.
Every Halloween, this is my go to. Jordan + I came back from our honeymoon on Halloween Day, and this was our first at-home meal as the Zehners. This simple little soup unintentionally took on some sentimental value, & it’s always a “must make” every October. This year, we had some other family join us for pumpkin carving, so this is the recipe I reach for. I even had my husband drift from his meat-less streak, & he happily obliged because this soup make it worth it.
So much freshness
Using fresh tomatillos for a recipe is always worth it. You start here by making a real deal tomatillo salsa Roasting a couple pounds of these bad boys alongside spicy peppers + onions, developing a nice char on all your veggies, and then pureeing them to smooth, salsa perfection. I highly recommend sneaking in a couple tortilla chips dipped in this very fresh tomatillo sauce, but this is your base. & it’s delicious! Tangy, spicy, & savory, and very very green. Which this is a favorite little number to whip out for Halloween.
Hominy hominy hominy
This soup has a serious Mexican flare. I mean duh - tomatillos are the main ingredient. The vibes are just extenuated with things like cilantro + jalapeños + cheddar cheese, but hominy is the ingredient that really seals the deal for a south of the border vibe. It’s such a hidden gem in the world of canned vegetables.
One Friday night In high school I went to my friend Gracelyn’s house to get ready for a football game (with like half of our cheer squad), and her mom had made us a big pot of chili. & this chili had these little white nuggets littered throughout. & everytime I got one in a spoonful, it was amazing. They were so good - looked like large white corn kernels but with an entirely different texture that’s almost meaty. That’s hominy, & holy shit it’s good! It’s one of those things that I hardly ever cook with, & in fact this may be the only recipe I ever incorporate it into, but it’s so so so enjoyable. Which is probably just another reason I reach for this soup recipe once a year - gotta get my hominy fix!
Brings the heat
But what we LOOOOVVVEEEE about this soup is it brings the heat!! The spicy sausage just steeps in the soup, and every spoonful of the soup seems to have a bit of a spicy bite. & the jalapenos - those will spice up your life! I kept the seeds and rinds on half of the jalapenos we used, and if you don't already know those are the pieces that bring the heat. If you want to test the spicy waters, you can leave the rinds and seeds on all of them to really make things exciting.
A totally crowd pleasing soup that’s been recreated so many times at this point, it’s something I quickly reach for when I’ve got some other peeps joining us. Felt like the perfect Fall meal to pair with annual pumpkin carving, which is something I really enjoy taking part in every year. It’s a happy meal that at our house that envokes those first day home as husband and wife, wedding vibes, and they’re some of the happiest vibes to re-visit year after year. A very cherished recipe from a very cherished moment.
For the Soup
2 lb. fresh tomatillos
2 onions (yellow or white)
3-4 jalapenos
1 anaheim chile
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro (plus a little extra for garnish on your soup)
3 tbsp EVOO, plus extra for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. spicy Italian sausage (removed from the casing)
1 butternut squash, seeded, outside peel removed, + cut into bitesize cubes
1 15 ounce can hominy, including the liquid
2 c. chicken broth
some grated cheddar cheese (optional
Salt & pepper
Start by heating the oven to 400. Remove the skin from the tomatillos and rinse the tomatillos with warm water to remove the sticky coating. Dry with a paper towel, and halve each tomatillo. Quarter one of the onions and halve each of the jalapenos. If you want the soup to be pretty spicy, leave the core + seeds in the jalapeno, + if you want a milder soup de-seed at least half of the jalapenos. Place all of the vegetables cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the top of the veggies, and roast for 35-40 minutes.
Once the veggies have finished cooking, transfer all of the roasted veggies and any cooking liquids (everything from the pan) to a food processor along with the garlic and cilantro. Puree until smooth, or until you successfully have a salsa like mixture.
In a large pot (preferably a dutch oven), heat the 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Finely chop the remaining onion and add it to the hot oil. Let the onion cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Once the onion is soft and cooked through, add in the sausage - using a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite size pieces as it browns. Once the sausage is cooked through, add in the squash, hominy & its liquid, chicken broth, and the tomatillo salsa. Add in a pinch of both salt & pepper, and give the soup a stir. Turn up the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After that time, turn the heat to low, cover, and let the soup continue to cook for another 20 minutes.
After that final bit of cooking time, all the flavors should be perfectly married, and you're ready to eat. Spoon the soup into bowls, garnishing with a sprinkle of cheese + extra cilantro. The perfect bowl of green chili that is extra delicious with good hunk of cornbread dunked into it.
