Creamy Sausage, White Bean, & Spinach Soup

January 17, 2018

Burrrr...It's cold out there!  Having a variety of vegetables in soup will provide the nutrients needed while keeping you warm this winter!

Ingredients

• 2 Tb. olive oil

• 1 pound (16 oz.) Chicken sausage

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), finely chopped

• 2 carrots, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 Tb. fresh sage, minced (or 2 tsp. dried)

• 1 Tb. fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dried)

• Dash of salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes

• 3 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (white beans)

• 1/2 cup almond milk

• 8 oz. bag fresh spinach leaves

• Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Crumble and cook sausage until brown and no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside. Add onion, peppers, carrots and garlic to pot and cook, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 7 minutes.

2. Add sage, rosemary, salt and pepper to mixture. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes (including juice) and reserved sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, coarsely mash beans from 1 can with a fork or potato masher. Add mashed beans to pot. Temper the heavy cream by adding a small amount of hot soup mixture to cream, until cream is warmed, then slowly add the cream into the pot. Stir in remaining 2 cans of beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Lastly, remove soup from heat and stir in spinach, allowing it to slightly wilt before ladling into serving bowls. Top soup with grated Parmesan cheese.

Happy Eating!