Foodie Friday: Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

Happy Foodie Friday!

Remember Lauren? 

If you missed last Friday's post, check it out! I introduced Lauren, Foodie Fridays, and her awesome first recipe contribution.

Here she is with this week's amazing recipe...

-Laura

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This post might as well be named: My husband is away and me and my kids are sick and I made this giant pot of delicious soup to get us through the week.  

Ha. Let me tell you the story...

These past few weeks have been nuts and it just doesn't feel like it's about to slow down anytime soon. Halloween was fun! Absolutely insane, but so fun. We all ate way too much junk over the weekend, so now we're sick. Runny noses, sore throats, headaches...it's lovely. My husband is out of town for work this week so I'm stuck here with two sick, cranky children. And it's my week to teach Joy School (a home-preschool program where you rotate teaching weeks with the other moms). AND it snowed today. Basically, we will not be leaving this house all week long. I let my toddler watch way too many episodes of Paw Patrol just so I could get a nap and feel like a semi-normal human again. And then, I made this soup. (See? I always get around to food.) I made this Italian Sausage and White Bean soup for the first time a couple weeks ago and it blew my mind. Hearty, bursting with flavour, just-enough heat and it's even helping me put a dent in my dry beans food storage. It's incredibly easy to make and super versatile. I didn't have any yellow squash so I just added more zucchini. I haven't added the kale yet, but I am definitely doing that next time I make it. Plus, it makes a huuuuge pot, so I'll be napping every day and we'll just be eating leftovers. Can I get an amen?

Huge shout out to my girl @laurenbhealth for this soup recipe. We've been keeping tabs on each other via blogs and Instagram for awhile now and EVERY TIME she posts something I can't help but think that I just want to be her neighbour and show up conveniently for leftovers.

Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup

1 lb Italian sausage

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (I used some chopped fresh tomatoes too, because I have lovely neighbours with gigantic gardens. Leah, if you're reading this, I love you.)

4 cups chicken broth

1 can white beans, undrained (I cook my own dried beans and just keep the liquid.)

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

4 minced garlic cloves

1+ tsp granulated garlic

1+ tsp dried basil

1/2+ tsp dried oregano

1/2+ tsp dried parsley

1/4+ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt to taste

a splash of apple cider vinegar (my addition to the recipe, because I just read that every soup needs to have something acidic in it to balance and bring out the rest of the flavours.)

(the + is just because I usually end of adding more than the suggested amount of spices. So just add to taste!)

Directions:

Brown sausage and set aside on a paper towel to drain. In the pot with the drippings, sauté onion, and add garlic and all the dry seasonings. Add in the diced squash and zucchini, and then the beans/lentils. Add in the broth and tomatoes along with the sausage and bring to a boil. Add apple cider vinegar. Turn down to medium low and let simmer for about 45 minutes, until the squash is tender. This soup is even better the second day.

Aside from a fresh baby, I'm pretty sure that onions and garlic frying in hot oil is my favourite smell in the world.

(Notes from Lauren (the Lauren who gave me the recipe, not the Lauren who is myself.) "I made this soup up almost two years ago, and it's my husband's absolute favourite soup. You can switch out the beans for lentils, or you can use both! Also, this recipe tastes phenomenal with chopped kale in it for a different twist!")

My cute sous-chefs!

I was going to try to take a real pretty picture of the soup and bread on my kitchen table, but I had to be real with you: Ate my dinner while the boys took a long bath before bedtime in my dirty (but comfy) yoga pants. Wasn't picture perfect, but it was delicious and relaxing.

As we press forward into the white abyss that is winter here in Alberta, Canada, I hope you all make this soup to warm you up, no matter where you are. It's quickly become a family favourite in this house and I know you'll love it too! Until next week, my friends!