Sausage Wild Rice Soup

1 lb ground sausage pork, chicken, or turkey all work
2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
1 small–medium onion diced (about ¾ cup)
2-3 celery stalks diced (about 1 cup)
3 bay leaves
2 cups uncooked wild rice rinsed (this is our favorite)
1 quart homemade chicken bone broth I use my home-canned bone broth recipe
1 tsp salt adjust to taste
½ tsp black pepper or more to taste
½ tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried parsley
4 Tbsp butter divided: 1 Tbsp for veggies, 3 Tbsp for thickening *can also use oil to make it dairy-free
¼ cup all-purpose flour

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Break it into small crumbles as it cooks. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving a little of the drippings in the pot.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot along with the carrots, onion, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften and smell fragrant.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Stir until the flour is absorbed and everything is coated — this will thicken the soup as it cooks.

Stir in the sausage, salt, pepper, sage, parsley, and bay leaves. Add the rinsed wild rice and pour in the quart of bone broth. Mix well to combine everything.

Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 45–50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the wild rice is tender and the soup has thickened.

Use wild rice, not white rice: Wild rice holds up well in soup and adds nutty flavor.
Homemade broth makes a difference: I always use my home-canned chicken bone broth for depth of flavor.
Add extra broth if needed: Using just one quart of broth keeps my soup thick and hearty, how my family prefers it. If it feels too thick, add more broth or water.
Creamy without cream: The butter-and-flour method gives richness without dairy. If you want it to be dairy-free, use oil instead of butter.
I like to add the flour directly to the sautéed vegetables with the butter instead of making a separate roux in another pan. It saves time and dishes — and still gives you that creamy, thickened broth.