Recipe

The weather is getting colder so I've been in the mood for soups and stews and comfort food. This recipe is easy, tasty and as healthy as you want it to be. It calls for chicken-apple sausage, but in the past I've used sweet italian sausage which has been great, and this time I used turkey sausage because we are on a little diet right now. So far, no matter what I change, it's always good.

Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Sausage

Bon Appetit - 2008

Makes 8-10 servings

4 T olive oil - divided

12 oz fully cooked chicken-apple sausage (about 4), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise in 1/2-inch thick slices

4 C thinly sliced green cabbage 

3 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise

2 C baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise, then halved crosswise

2 T tomato paste concentrate 

2 T chopped fresh Italian Parsley

1 T chopped fresh rosemary

8 C low-salt chicken broth

1 15oz can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

Get your ingredients together and get all your chopping done first. This is what's called being a good sous chef. Be ready! Notice that I am a HUGE recipe cheater - I'm using turkey instead of chicken-apple sausage, and I'm using ground turkey instead of sausage - doesn't matter.

  Directions: Heat 2 T olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. 

 Add sausage (or ground turkey in my case) and saute until brown, about 5 minutes.

Add cabbage; saute 2 minutes. (I actually used a whole head of cabbage - and I like to use Savoy cabbage but there wasn't any at the store - so i used regular green cabbage which was fine).

 Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside.

 Add remaining 2 T olive oil to same pot. Add leeks and carrots and saute at medium until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes (I usually do more like 10 minutes).

Add tomato paste, parsley (I used curly parsley since I have a ton of it in the garden right now and I like it), and rosemary and stir for 1 minute or so.

Add broth, sausage/cabbage mixture and beans and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes (or not that long - you decide). Season to taste with salt and pepper.  EAT, then eat again  the next day.. and the next......

Here's the final - enjoy!