Pumpkin Sausage Soup

Ok, I know. It sounds weird. But, the flavors really go well together.  It is a great winter dish. Too bad we made it for the first time in the spring. This would be one I can see us making at least once a month.

Ingredients:
3 carrots, finely diced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 onion, diced
7 cups chicken broth
2 cans of pure pumpkin (15 oz each)
2 pounds pork sausage
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the carrots, celery, and onion.
2. Add the ground pork and seasonings.
3. Sautee until the pork is cooked and veggies are a bit tender.
4. Add in the chicken broth and pumpkin and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Check seasoning and tweak as needed.
6. Simmer until needed or for another 20 minutes.

We put some sour cream in our soup and that really added a nice, creamy touch.  It was a great balance between a bit of spice and some smooth cream.  A few tweaks I am thinking about for next time is adding a splash of heavy cream while cooking and adding in some avocado as a garnish.

This recipe was found online and passed through multiple iterations and people before I got it. I don't know who the originator is. I found it on the Active Low-Carber Forum.