Soups are one of my favorite foods, next to breads. If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you know I’ve become a little bit obsessed with baking different types of breads. But with a new year, it's time to switch things up a bit and include some lighter options in my diet.
My mother used to make a soup when I was growing up that I absolutely loved. All I remembered is that it had sausage, spinach, and beans. It was a wonderful soup because it was hearty but also refreshing at the same time. It is so delicious. I called my mother and described the dish and she gave me the recipe right over the phone.
I made this simple soup during the first real snowfall of Chicago, and it was the perfect afternoon. I had soup sputtering on the stovetop, which made my apartment smell like my childhood.
The most amazing thing about this soup is how easy it is. I’m sure you can amp it up a bit more, but I really enjoy the simplicity of it. You could make your own broth if you wanted, find a more complex sausage than Kielbasa, maybe add a few more root vegetables to ground the flavor… but this is the version that I grew up with. My mother raised three kids and didn’t always have the luxury of prolonged kitchen time. So I admire the simplicity of this dish. It also makes for a wonderful soup to bring to work for lunch the next day!
Kielbasa and Spinach Soup
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of baby carrots, halved
1 cup of chopped onions
2 garlic cloves minced
7 ounces of turkey Kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch pieces
4 cups of chicken broth
½ teaspoon dired Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cans of Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
1. Melt butter in large saucepan on medium high heat.
2. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa. Saute 3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer.
6. Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to soup.
7. Simmer additional 5 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and add spinach, stirring until spinach wilts and serve.
Again, this soup is so easy. It’s hearty and light all at the same time. It hits really earthy and really fresh notes. It satisfies a lot of my cravings for soup all in one. You could easily double this recipe and throw it in a Le Creuset dutch oven to feed a larger family or so you can have leftovers.
