Hearty Sausage and Bean Soup

I'm always cold.  I get hot coffee in 90-degree weather, and my apartment has more fuzzy blankets than a Pottery Barn catalog.  Since the weather has averaged about 15 degrees recently, I wanted a big pot full of satisfying, hearty soup.  If you want to make this vegetarian, you can easily leave out the sausage and use vegetable broth.  One bowl is perfect for an appetizer, or two for a full meal.

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3 carrots
3 celery ribs
1 large onion
8 garlic cloves
4 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
3 cups water
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 head savoy cabbage
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
1 can cannellini beans (15 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
salt
black pepper

Add a touch of vegetable oil to a large pot over medium heat.  I prefer an enameled cast iron Dutch oven because it encourages browning, especially of meats.  Although it holds heat really well, it takes a while to heat up, is not dishwasher safe, and is reaaaally heavy.  Squeeze the sausage out of the casings and add it to the pot, breaking it up with the edge of a mixing spoon.  Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes until browned all over.

Transfer the sausage to a paper-towel lined plate, but leave the sausage fat in the pot.  At this point, you could pour the fat into the trash, but it's so flavorful!  Lots of little browned bits of sausage and a heavenly smell.

While the sausage is cooking, peel the carrots and roughly chop them, the celery, and the onion.

Peel and finely dice the garlic.

Heat the sausage fat or olive oil over medium and add the vegetables.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the carrots are just starting to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Stir in the broth, water, and bay leaves.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer, then reduce the temperature to medium-low.

Split the cabbage in half and cut out the thick stem.  Lay the half-cabbage on its flat side and cut into 1-inch strips.

Cube it crosswise into 1-inch chunks.

Drain the canned tomatoes in a colander.  Rinse the tomatoes and add to the soup, along with the cabbage.

Drain the cannellini beans, rinse, and add to the soup as well.  I use a giant mesh ladle when I'm too lazy to get the colander down off the shelf.

Simmer for about five minutes until the beans are heated through.  Add the oregano and salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Better than a space heater.

Printable recipe