Light Sausage, Caramelized Onion & Bean Soup Recipe

You’ll never guess that this soup is light and healthy when you taste the rich broth, flavored with caramelized onions, turkey sausage and beans.

I clearly need an intervention. Ever since I posted a tutorial on How to: Caramelize Onions last week, I’ve been caramelizing and sautéing onions left, right and center. They snuck their way into my Zucchini, Caramelized Onion & Feta Cheese Omelet and now they are one of the stars in this richly flavored soup.

Something magical happens to chicken broth when you add caramelized onions, particularly ones that have been finished off with a dose of balsamic vinegar. The sumptuous flavor and deep golden color of the sweet vegetable transform the broth from basic to hearty.

Any flavored turkey or chicken sausages will work in this soup (though I would avoid a sweet sausage, such as chicken and apple). I used our favorite 5th Street Grill turkey sausages, which we buy at Costco and weigh in at 100 calories per sausage. You’ve seen them in a couple of my recipes, such as Quick Farro with Sausage, Tomatoes & Arugula.

The beauty of making soups, particularly when you don’t have a lot of time or patience for doing dishes, is that all of the cooking can be done in one pot. My favorite soup saucepan is this one, which my grandparents always used for their curries. If you prefer something a little bigger, there is also this one. One pot to wash and dry makes for a happy mum….which means a happy family.

If you’re not a fan of black beans, great northern or cannellini beans would also work well in this recipe.

Find these ingredients and tools on Amazon:

• 5-1/2-Quart Dutch Oven (or this bigger one)
• Low Sodium Black Beans
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Bay Leaves

Other light, comforting soup recipes:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Light Turkey (or Chicken) & Corn Chowder
Cookin’ Canuck’s Fisherman’s Soup with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes & Capers
Gimme Some Oven’s Italian Orzo Spinach Soup
Chard in Charge’s Butternut Squash Soup with Parsley Pecan Pesto
Peanut Butter + Peppers’ Corn Chowder with Wild Rice

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Light Sausage, Caramelized Onion & Bean Soup Recipe

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hour 5 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Calories 185.9/ Total Fat 3.7 / Saturated Fat 0.7g / Cholesterol 25.0mg / Sodium 843.5mg / Total Carbohydrates 25.3g / Fiber 6.3g / Sugars 3.9g / Protein 15.8g / WW (Old Points) 3 / WW (Points+) 5

Yields Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 flavored turkey or chicken sausages, cut into 1/2-circles
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced thinly into 1/2-circles
• Water, as needed
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with cooking spray and add the sausages. Cook until the sausages are starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.
3. Add the onions, cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown.
4. During the cooking, add water as necessary to stop the onions from burning and drying out. You may need as much as ½ cup.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
6. Add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
7. Stir in the black beans and cooked sausages. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the parsley. Serve.

by From the kitchen of cookincanuck.com

Recipe Notes

From the kitchen of Cookin' Canuck | cookincanuck.com

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