Another “it’s soup weather” recipe, and I do love soup weather. I’ve been making this soup for years, and I’m pretty sure it was a recipe I found on a jar of Randall’s beans. I must tell you, a jar of Randall’s beans is a great grocery find. They are perfect for soup, refried beans, and baked beans. Randalls do the soaking and cooking for us…so easy to use and delicious to eat. Beans are a great source of plant protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and they’re low in fat. As an added benefit, beans are great colon cleansers. 🙂 All beans are considered legumes, but not all legumes are considered beans. For instance peanuts are not really nuts, they are actually legumes…edible seeds that grow in pods. Personally, beans and nuts are more appetizing words than legumes, so bean soup it is.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound smoked sausage of your choice

6 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of diced onion

1 cup of diced celery

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

28 oz of diced tomatoes

48 oz jar Randall’s mixed beans

kale or spinach (optional)

Prep all of the veggies and cut the sausage into half moons.

Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a large Dutch oven and sweat the veggies for a couple minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme.

Add the sausage, the tomatoes, and the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30-45 minutes. Drain the jar of beans and add them to the soup pot.

If desired, add a few handfuls of chopped kale or spinach.

Continue to simmer for 10 minutes or so until the greens are wilted, and the beans are heated.

Ladle into bowls and enjoy. Delicious!

NOTE: Great served with some crusty bread and a bit of fresh grated parmigiana. I used Michigan smoked sausage from Dearborn, but feel free to use your favorite. You can also add additional vegetables like diced carrots or potatoes.

If you want to kick up the flavor a bit, add some red pepper flakes.