Sausage And Bean Soup

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs sweet italian sausage links or 1 1/2 lbs hot italian sausage, in the casing
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto ham, minced
• 2 medium onions, in medium dice
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and in medium dice
• 2 medium celery ribs, in medium dice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 3 (15 7/8 ounce) cans great northern beans or 3 (15 7/8 ounce) cans other beans, undrained
• 1 quart chicken broth (carton or can)

Recipe

• 1 heat oil in a large, deep saute pan or soup kettle over medium-high heat.
• 2 when pan is hot, add sausages, cook, turning once or twice, until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
• 3 (sausage will not be fully cooked at this point.) remove from the pan.
• 4 when cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick.
• 5 add prosciutto, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the empty skillet, cook, stirring often, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• 6 in a small bowl one can of beans with a fork into a chunky puree.
• 7 add broth, whole and mashed beans, and sausage; cover and bring to a simmer.
• 8 reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, partially covered to blend flavors, 20 minutes.
• 9 let rest 10 minutes; serve.