Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Sausage

Last night I made this delicious soup for dinner. It took roughly an 1:45 from prep to eating, not too bad as far as time, and it was very good if I do say so myself, well worth the minor effort.

Plenty of veggies, low sodium chicken stock, All-Natural chicken-apple sausage = good for you and easy. I used Aidells brand sausage, because that’s what the grocery store had, and it fit the soup perfectly. 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 12 ounces fully cooked chicken-apple sausages (about 4), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/2 small head)
• 3 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise, then halved crosswise
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste concentrate (from tube)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 8 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained

I didn’t use baby carrots, but I don’t think they would add much specifically to the flavor. Use whatever carrots you have. I’d be interested to see how the soup turned out if I used Savoy cabbage or even bok choy. I think a large chopped tomato would go well in this.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage slices and sauté until brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage; sauté 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to same pot and heat over medium heat. Add leeks and carrots and sauté until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, parsley, and rosemary and stir 1 minute. Add broth, sausage-cabbage mixture, and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I tasted throughout the cooking time, as any good chef would, and added salt & pepper very near the end, after everything had cooked together. The tomato paste gave the soup a reddish tint and I think there was a good balance of ingredients to broth. Hope you enjoy as much as my girlfriend and I did.

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