Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Northern Bean Soup with Turkey Smoked Sausage

Tonight I was in the mood for something simple yet hearty and healthy. For some reason I have been on a bean kick. I have had some sort of beans the past 4 days. No big deal since beans are healthy, I just find it funny that every meal has to incorperate some sort of legume.

I came up with this soup, which was really quick and easy to make. I even entered all the ingredients into Sparkpeople and it turns out it is pretty darn healthy, and under 500 calories! I know it is summer, and this soup is more fall or winter-ish, but I'm a soup freak. I could eat it every day. Unless it is a cold soup, like gazpacho. We had a discussion about cold soups on my message board (The Nest) and most of the ladies agree that soup should be served hot. I have nothing against those who enjoy a cold soup, but I can't get over the, well, coldness of it.

Northern Bean Soup with Turkey Smoked Sausage
7 oz. Louis Rich smoked sausage chopped ( one link)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
2 cans northern beans rinsed and drained
1 1/4 cup pearl barley
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tsp. canola oil
7 cups chicken stock
Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add canola oil and saute pepper, onion and celery until onion gets soft. Add garlic, sausage, bayleaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute about 4-6 minutes. Add barley and toast about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring contents of the pot to a boil. Add beans, lower to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes or until barley is cooked. Using an immersion blender, blend soup about 15 seconds to thicken. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 408.2
Total Fat 7.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.0 g
Cholesterol 19.5 mg
Sodium 775.7 mg
Potassium 864.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 65.5 g
Dietary Fiber 14.2 g
Sugars 5.0 g
Protein 21.9 g

10 comments:

Unknown said...

This soup is delicious. And since it is so forgiving on the nutrition side, you can feel great about stuffing your face with it! Once again, great job Baby.

Ally said...

Thanks Honey, glad you enjoyed it. Ya know I'm always looking out for ya! Mwah!

Jaime said...

mmmm, so comforting!

Unknown said...

We need to incorporate more legumes in our diet and this looks great! Thanks for posting...

Anonymous said...

This looks fantastic. Yes, it is kind of a "winter-ish" soup, but sometimes that's what you want - even in July.

That Girl said...

We use beans a lot too! Mostly because they store pretty easy ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ooooh! This look sooo comforting and delicious!

Anonymous said...

Ooooh! This look sooo comforting and delicious!

Erin said...

It looks so tasty w/ the barley. I think that's one of the best soup ingredients. I do have to say, though, that I would be much more likely to make/eat this type of soup when it's cold out.

Erin said...

It looks so tasty w/ the barley. I think that's one of the best soup ingredients. I do have to say, though, that I would be much more likely to make/eat this type of soup when it's cold out.