Winter soups to love with beef brats

In the summer, we love to throw our beef brats on the grill. (With a casing, or caseless! Both are delicious.)

But we eat even more of them in winter! They are wonderful cooked with sauerkraut and potatoes or served with a hearty winter soup.

Here are recipes for two of my favorite winter soups. I hope you enjoy them!

Leek soup, topped with cream, brat on the side … yum!

Leek and potato soup

Ingredients

3-4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roots trimmed
2-4 Tbl oil or butter
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups broth of choice (chicken, vegetable, etc.)
4 cups of water
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2″ pieces
Salt and pepper
Cream, if desired, for serving
Beef bratwurst, if desired, for a delicious side dish

Directions

Wash your leeks well; slice them in half lengthwise almost to the base and open up the layers to get sneaky sand and dirt out. Chop leeks into 1/2″ slices. Heat your oil or butter in a stock pot, then add the chopped leeks. Saute until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the potatoes, broth and water to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Blend the soup by transferring to a blender and carefully blending in batches (be sure to vent the lid; cover the lid opening with a paper towel to allow steam to escape as you blend) or with an immersion blender in the pot. Soup should be uniform and smooth when finished.

Serve with cream and beef brats. Enjoy!

The recipe for making the soup inside the squash is still in development. I recommend the recipe below as written instead. 😉

Squash soup

Ingredients

1 large or multiple smaller squash of choice, about 3 lb total — I like buttercup, butternut, acorn, hubbard, and others
4-6 Tbl. oil or butter
1 large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 large carrots, diced
2 apples (any variety will do), cored and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broth of choice (chicken, vegetable, etc.)
4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried sage
Beef bratwurst, if desired, for a delicious side dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375. Carefully cut your squash in half from top to bottom. Using an ice cream scoop or sturdy spoon, scoop out the seeds. Place on lined baking sheet, cut sides up. Brush oil or butter onto the flesh of the squash. Bake for about an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until the flesh is tender and caramelized. Scoop the flesh out of the skin when it is cool enough to handle.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil or butter in a stock pot on the stove. Saute onion, celery, carrots, and apples until they become tender and lightly browned. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Pour in your water and broth, then add the scooped out squash to the pot. Season with salt, pepper, and sage. Boil about 20 minutes, until everything is tender. Blend the soup by transferring to a blender and carefully blending in batches (be sure to vent the lid; cover the lid opening with a paper towel to allow steam to escape as you blend) or with an immersion blender in the pot. Soup should be uniform and smooth when finished.

Serve with beef bratwurst and enjoy!