Autumn Tortilla Soup

This was a big hit with the Dinner Group. The leftovers even received great praise from my roommates and coworkers. It's a perfect warm-your-heart meal for colder autumn days. It was colorful, filling and delicious. I served it with apple cider, pesto bread salad and a "healthy"apple tart.

Autumn Tortilla Soup (I modified the recipe from one in Cuisine at Home magazine.)

1 butternut squash (2 lbs)

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

1 C chopped onion

2 large garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, seeded (this doesn't make it spicy...if you want that, leave in the seeds)

2 TBSP canola oil

3 corn tortillas, cut into strips

2 C chopped Roma tomatoes

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

6 C chicken broth

1 lb. kielbasa sausage (can also use turkey sausage)

6 oz spinach

1 can (15 oz) white hominy, drained

salt and pepper

Lime Cream

1/2 C sour cream

1 TBSP lime juice

zest from 1 lime

1 tsp ground cumin

Half the butternut squash, remove seeds, brush with 1 TBSP canola oil and place on baking pan in oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 min. Cool until easy to handle. Peel and dice.

While squash bakes, finely chop onion, garlic, jalapeno and corn together. Heat tortilla strips in stock pot until crisp. Remove a handful of them to use as garnish at the end. Add 1 TBSP oil and corn mixture and cook a few minutes until fragrant. Add in cumin, chili powder, tomatoes and tomato paste and cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in broth and 1/2 of the squash, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 min. Use hand blender in pot to blend until smooth. Brown sausage in skillet until well-cooked through.

Stir in remaining squash cubes, sausage, and hominy. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 min. Mix ingredients for lime cream in small bowl and set aside.

Stir in spinach into soup 1-2 minutes before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with lime cream and crunchy tortilla strips. Makes about 12 cups.