September is here and already there’s a chill in the air. The perfect night for preparing a toddler-friendly bowl of soup, in sum. Use any small pasta shape, such as mini shells, pennette, or farfalline for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Field Roast Italian sausage links, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup leek, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 pound precut butternut squash
• 1/4 cup small pasta
• French bread
• Earth Balance butter
• Nutritional yeast

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, spinach, and leek; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sausage is browned.
2. Add the broth and squash. Bring to a simmer, then continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for an additional 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the croutons: cut the French bread into slices, and spread each with the desired amount of butter and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Broil for about 1 minute, and serve with the soup.