Snowstorm today, time for a hearty stew. This is my favorite multi-bean soup with Italian sausage. I started with a 1.3 lb bag of 4 bean mix and added two kinds of lentil and a bit of a few others. The thing is, if you have celiac most 15 bean mixtures for soups contain barley which has gluten, a major no no. You need to carefully read the label. In the past I found a four bean mix out at Echo Hill country store in Berks County and added some French lentils; maybe ¼ a cup and some red lentils; another ¼ cup plus a ¼ cup of dried garbanzo beans and a sprinkling of dried limas. You can use what ever blend you like but I like a good mix for a rich thick stew. Update: Later on, I found a bag of 15 beans for soup and no barley!! Giant Store here in town. Great score for more bean soup.
Mine has Italian sausage but you can leave that out if you want a vegetarian version. I personally love sausage in a bean stew. Gives you lots of meaty flavor and a healthy dose of protein. I am guessing you could use other things like smoky ham chunks or maybe a ham hock? I haven’t found any gf ham hocks yet; they all seem to have a touch of gluten so I am kinda discouraged over that. Smoked turkey wings work pretty well instead of hamhocks.
I enjoyed a hot bowl of this potage with a slice of toasted multigrain gf bread. It made a full meal without anything else being necessary. A fresh crunchy salad would go well if you want to round your dining experience out with some greens!
Ten Bean Soup with Sausage
Soak 1- 1/2 pounds of dried beans in water to cover. If you buy lentils separately; set them aside and added them after the soaking as they don’t need the same treatment the other beans need. Either bring to a boil and let stand an hour or just let stand in the cold water overnight. I did the quick version! Drain them well and rinse before returning the swollen legumes to the rinsed pot. Cover with fresh filtered water and add a bay leaf. Cook 1 hour, pour in more water as needed and stir so it doesn’t stick or burn. Then, add the lentils and cook another hour until the beans are nearly tender. It is hard to say when beans get done, depends on a number of factors, taste often to check for tenderness. And stir that pot! As they approach that almost done spot start the rest of the dish.
Chop into dice:
3 sizable carrots
1 large onion
Mince: 2 big garlic cloves
Add the veggies, stir and cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add water if needed. I like the soup thick but it can’t be solid so add water.
As that cooks start the sausage. Sauté one lb Italian sausage: brown in a Teflon pan with a touch of olive oil until top and bottom are browned and sausage is mostly done. Let cool a bit and slice into rounds or chunks, set aside.
Add to the soup:
½ a 14 ounce can of spicy diced tomatoes
½ tsp. dried oregano
Sprinkle dried basil
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 beef bullion cube
½ bunch of kale leaves cut into big shreds; I cut off the bigger stems as they can be tough. (optional but excellent)
1-2 tsp sea salt
Some fresh ground black pepper
Cook ten minutes, add more water if it gets too thick. Stir occasionally. Taste and add more spice if you think the soup needs more. Add the sliced sausage and cook five minutes more. Taste and add more salt/pepper as you see necessary. Let stand 5-10 minutes before ladling out. Now that is comfort food that is good for you too! Enjoy.
Alternate cooking method that I used the last time I made this soup. Cook soaked beans in a separate pot until nearly tender. Meanwhile, sauté veggies for about 5 minutes in a big pot in about 2 tbsp. EVOL, add 6 sausage links; cook 8 to ten minutes; add canned tomatoes, then broth and all seasonings. Cook 5 minutes, add the beans that are about done and cook 10 minutes, remove the sausage and let cook five minutes, slice into rounds and add back in, cook 5-15 more minutes until beans taste done. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Originally posted two years ago in January 2015. Minor revisions; recipe remains the same.
Try not to overcook it though as gf pasta goes from done to mush easily if you are not paying attention! This rib sticking soup will be a meal if you add a salad and a slice of gf bread. I made it for my family the other week with a lovely new bread recipe which I will have to share sometime soon. It was a big hit. Warm, flavorful, satisfying and sure fills the tummy. I made it with dried beans I soaked overnight and cooked until pretty soft. White beans work too, navy beans come to mind as suitable. You can even use a couple of cans of beans; I did it recently with cannelloni beans and a can of fava beans; very Italian…
No one ever guesses they are in there; looks like cubes of potato. Or add more veggies, what is in your fridge? I have used green beans, summer squash cubes or peas.
My World Without Wheat 