One of my first Mom Survival Rituals is to make a pot of soup on the weekends and eat it throughout the week. I realized the necessity of such a plan when my lunch consisted of cookies on more than one occasion. I'm not proud of this. Consequently, the Weekend Soup has cemented itself as a ready-in-sixty-seconds-cookie-squelcher.

I usually go with a basic vegetable soup and use whatever I have around, but last weekend required more. I wanted something hearty and seasonal, and, for some unknown reason, I demanded that sausage make an appearance. Who knows...

This soup is indeed hearty and seasonal. Sweet onions and squash, bitter kale, spicy sausage, simple seasonings... it's an awesome combination that you should definitely try. The husband isn't a fan of squash or kale, and he voluntarily took some to work for lunch. High praise.

If you're not sure how to cut up a butternut squash (I wasn't either), I'm going to skip the middleman (me) and send you straight to Elise at Simply Recipes where she'll show you (with fabulous photos) how to do it. I followed her instructions and ended up with perfectly cubed squash and perfectly intact fingers. Win win.

Butternut Squash and Kale Soup

• 4-6 links of spicy Italian sausage (pork or chicken work great), cut into pieces
• one butternut squash, cubed
• one medium onion (any kind), diced
• one clove of garlic, minced
• 4-6 cups of chopped kale
• 4-6 cups of chicken stock (depending on the size of your squash and the water content of the vegetables)
• salt, black pepper, and red pepper flake

1. In a large soup pot, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until nicely browned on all sides. If it's not completely cooked through, no worries. It'll finish cooking in the soup later. Take out the pieces, drain them on some paper towels, and remember not to snack on them if you didn't finish the cooking. Not a fun bite to take.
2. Add the onions to the pan with the fat from the sausage, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook for about four minutes until the onions start to get just a bit of color.
3. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
4. Add the squash, and season with salt and pepper. Here's where you can add a couple pinches of red pepper flake if you'd like. The heat is a nice contrast to the mild veggies. Cook the squash for just a minute or two.
5. Add the kale, and carefully stir everything around just to coat the greens in some of the fat. Season them with a bit of salt and pepper, too. Remember, season every layer.
6. Now add the chicken stock. The liquid should cover the vegetables, but feel free to play around with the amount, especially if you have a preference on how thick or thin your soup is. Add the sausage back into the pot, add a little extra salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
7. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover, and let the soup get mellow and lovely for a good hour. The longer you go, the more the squash breaks down and almost becomes part of the broth. Go for as long or short as you'd like as long as everything is cooked through.
8. Perfect with some grainy bread.

If I'd had more time, I might've gotten really Suzy Homemaker and toasted up the seeds from the squash to use as a topping. I know, right? Didn't happen, but I'm pretty sure it'd be dynamite. If you try it, tell me. I'll come over for dinner.