The weather this past week had been somewhat “unwinter” like with a thaw in the middle of December. Temperatures were higher than what we had experienced in November. After last year’s brutal winter, I am thankful for the short reprieve.
It wasn’t exactly a sunny respite though, as we exchanged snow for thick wet fog that covered everything with moisture. The sun was in hiding for several days and snow is on its way. As temperatures drop, we again turn to comfort foods like this Creamy Sausage Vegetable Soup.
The thought of something warm and creamy to fill the belly was comforting. The ham stock I had made using the bone from a Slow Cooker Ham was perfect for this soup. I threw in some extra cooked wild rice I had made (and frozen) for our Thanksgiving Chestnut, Pear, and Wild Rice Stuffing together with smokies, mushrooms, potatoes, and the usual vegetables. It was all good and I can’t be happier with the way the soup turned out.
Like all Minnesotans, we love our wild rice. I would add another cup of cooked wild rice the next time. It made the soup really hearty and delicious and reminded me of the ever popular Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 package (13 oz 370g) smokies or cocktail sausages, cut into halfs
- 1 large onion, cubed
- 2 large carrots, cut into coins
- 2 sticks celery, cut cross-wise into ¼ inch thick slices
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 6 cups (1.5 liters) ham or chicken stock
- 8 oz (225g) button mushrooms, stem removed and sliced
- 1 cup (6 oz/170g) cooked wild rice
- 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup (60ml) water
- Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot. Brown sausages for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in dried thyme.
- Pour in ham or chicken stock. Bring soup to a boil.
- Add button mushrooms, cooked wild rice, and potatoes. Allow soup to come back up to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Return browned sausages to the pot. Add milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken soup. Turn off heat.
- Serve warm with crusty bread.
One generous serving of this Creamy Sausage Vegetable Soup served with crusty bread was all we needed for dinner that evening. It warmed us up from inside out and cheered our spirits even though it was cold and wet outside. I was happy that there was some leftover in the pot. The thought of having another bowl for lunch the next day was very comforting.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
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