Last week, I was hit with the worst allergy problem of my life. My husband and I went out for an afternoon of shopping, and by the time I got home, I was feeling pretty rough. All I wanted was a nice big bowl of hot soup for dinner. Earlier in the day, we had stopped by Trader Joe’s, and I had gotten a package of their Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage. We were all out of meat at home and hadn’t had a chance to make it over to the local butcher shop yet.
This was just what I needed to make me feel just a little bit better. I’m still dealing with allergy symptoms, but I’m feeling a little better. I even managed to run four miles on the treadmill and do an upper body workout yesterday. Considering just breathing alone has been tough lately, I’m pretty happy!
This is another one of those super easy soups that’s great for when you are short on time. Canned beans once again save the day. If you can’t find Cannellini Beans or don’t like them, you could always substitute Great Northern Beans. I like them both, but I tend to only keep the canned version of Cannellini Beans in my pantry.
You can use whatever chicken sausage or regular sausage that you prefer. My recipe calls for fully cooked sausage, so you just need to make sure to buy that kind. Your choice on the brand and flavor. Personally, I didn’t think that the TJ’s sausage was spicy, but maybe that’s just me.
Sausage Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , diced
- 2 large carrots , thinly sliced
- 2 celery stalks , diced
- 2 cloves of garlic , minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 (15 oz) cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (12 oz) package of fully cooked Italian chicken sausage ( I used spicy)
Instructions
- In a 4-quart soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of ghee or olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and a generous dash of sea salt. Stir and lower the heat to medium-low. Once the veggies have softened up a bit, stir in the garlic and dried herbs, then continue to cook for about five more minutes.
- Pour in the stock and tomatoes, add the sausage and beans, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes. Check seasonings, adjust if necessary, the serve.