Monday, January 25, 2010

Soup's On: Tuscan Spinach, Bean & Sausage

For the 1st bowl of 12 in the series of Soup's On, click:



“Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup.” ~ Bennett Cerf, humorist, publisher


This soup was easy to make for a weeknight meal after a long day of work. And it was not only hearty but fairly healthy! I looked at a few sausage packages to compare calories & fat & the one below was what I went with. Next time I will try the freshly prepared chicken sausage but they didn't have any available.


TUSCAN SPINACH, BEAN & SAUSAGE SOUP

{ Click Here to Print Recipe }

1 link hot Italian-style turkey sausage
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 14 oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz frozen cut-leaf spinach or fresh
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tblsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Bring sausage & 1/4 inch water to a simmer in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until water evaporates, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the sausage is browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board; when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Combine the sausage, beans, broth, garlic, spinach & marjoram in a medium saucepan.





Cover & cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in cheese just before serving.


{ Food for Thought }

I used the fresh spinach I had on hand instead of frozen & just added it in along with the broth & garlic. You can substitute any kind of sausage you prefer from the many variations on the market. Just be sure to look at the calories if you want to keep this soup healthy. I opted for a chicken sausage because it was half the fat of the turkey sausage freshly prepared at my grocer.

Although better than the traditional, the turkey sausage was still very high in cals & fat. 

And if you can't make soup to keep warm, blanket yourself with one tired little boy & one sweet large bulldog.



 {  Linking Deliciously to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  }

27 comments:

Kristina P. said...

Delicious! And such a cute little bulldog.

KatiePerk said...

That soup looks delicious! I have been trying to mix up my soup recipes! Thanks for sharing! Such a sweet photo!

Ronda said...

This looks yummy. I make one similar to this and put in a can of chopped tomatoes and red pepper flakes. I'm going to look for your chicken sausage. I think they have this brand in my store.
Hope your all well, and love your picture!
XOXO

Gloria Baker said...

This look really yummy and I love the picture soooo cute!! gloria

Chef E said...

I think this would be perfect with some Rabbit sausage I am making!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

That picture is adorable. I am going to star this one and talk to my husband about it. It sounds very good to me.

Sandy said...

Another great recipe...perfect for a winter night.

FROGGITY! said...

look at those lil' cuties sleeping! how precious.

i have never tried a recipe such as this! luckily it's been nice and warm here lately... but if we get another cold snap i may give this a try!! :)

Simple Daisy said...

That soup looks awesome!! And did I tell you .... how bad my husband wants a bulldog!?!?! But I think we have our hands more than full with Ruby and L.C.!!!
Take care~

Serena said...

Yum! That soup looks delicious and so easy to prep. Love it and that cute dog.:)

Serena @ SeriouslySoupy.blogspot.com

strokeofliving said...

I must try this before the weather turns back to a consistent 75 degrees.

Ya-Hum!

sheila said...

Oh, this is a must try for me! I've never heard of chicken sausage but boy does it look good!

LOVE the bulldog and child pic! lol! SO CUTE

Unknown said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment! Your blog looks wonderful, ummm all this food looks so great! I will be back to try some to these recipes out!

Melissa said...

That looks great! Last winter we made soup once a week, but I haven't been doing that this year. Thanks for the reminder. :)

BeautifulDisaster311 said...

This one looks amazing and I love the sleepy little people curled up around you; so sweet!

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

The soup looks good and the sausage looks like a great find! Love the snuggle picture, too!

Sara said...

This soup looks awesome!! I may have to make this on WED night. It's supposed to get cold here in TX again. :)

Love the cuddle picture! So cute.

Coco said...

That picture is to die for!!! How comfy were you with these two love bugs cozied up in your lap.

Love all the ingrediants in this recipe and love soup. And this is pretty healthy!

Anonymous said...

JDaniel is rattling around in his bed. He is supposed to be sleeping. If your soup does this to little boys, I need to make it.

Life, Love And Lola said...

And this weather is totally "soup weather!" That picture is just precious!

Unknown said...

The soup looks yummy and the little boy and dog are awfully cute also.

Lora said...

wow, that looks yummy!

I love the bulldog picture. My neighbor has an english bulldog named moxie that I get to babysit on occasion...love that dog!

Michelle said...

What a pretty soup! And look at the teeth on your dog.....LOL!

Reeni said...

How delicious with hot sausage. This is definitely my kind of soup! The picture is adorable!

Healthy. Happy. Well. said...

Yum! This would be good...minus the sausage! =)

Chef Chuck said...

Count me in, this is delish!!

tiarastantrums said...

holy crap - look how big your dog is now!!