Italian-Style Winter Sausage and White Bean Soup

My friend Sheila is pumped about the wild game recipes. She sent me this one to share and it sounds amazing- especially in this yucky weather. She created this recipe about 6 months ago with reindeer sausage she bought at- get this- Costco! Ha! They sell reindeer sausage at Costco in Alaska. Well, if you can't find reindeer sausage, don't fret. Use whatever you've got. She also said that it turned out good with Spanish linguica and Hillshire Farms kielbasa. I'm going to use- you guessed it- deer sausage. This is a good recipe because it's affordable and requires pantry items we usually keep on hand. That means little prep or shopping. I hate getting out in rainy weather so this is perfect.

Here's Sheila and Layla last winter.

Italian-Style Winter Sausage and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. smoked sausage sliced in 1/2 inch cubes

1 medium onion chopped

2 garlic cloves pressed

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans white kidney beans

1 box of chicken broth

1/4 c fresh chopped parsley

1/2 box spinach thawed

salt and pepper to taste, red pepper flakes are great!

Method:

Drizzle some olive oil in soup pot. Add sausage and onion. Sautee until sausage renders down and begins to caramelize. Careful not to burn the onions. Add garlic with a quick stir. Add tomatoes, broth, and beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat letting the soup simmer for about an hour. Add in the fresh parsley and spinach for the last 10 minutes. Serve this hearty soup topped with grated Parmesan cheese and warm crusty baguettes. A meal in itself!