Pureed Summer Vegetable Soup with Basil and Italian Sausage

This was excellent, tasting thoroughly of summer in every spoonful. Feel free to skip the sausage for a lighter soup. You can be quite approximate with the quantity of each vegetable. You can substitute zucchini for the summer squash if you like, but a nice yellow summer squash combines with the corn and tomatoes to yield a lovely pale orange soup. (Hat tip to my sister Tara for this recipe idea!)

Olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs summer squash, sliced
2-3 cups seeded chopped tomatoes
2 cups corn kernels
1 Parmesan rind (optional but nice if you happen to have one)
Chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb cooked Italian sausage, sliced into thin rounds or diced
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil

Heat a little olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the shallots and garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add the squash and continue to saute over medium high heat for another 3-5 minutes, until the squash begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, corn, and Parmesan rind (if using), then add enough chicken or vegetable stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the Parmesan rind from the pot and puree the vegetable mixture using an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the sausage and basil. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Serves 4-6.