Here’s a flavorful soup for your crockpot. I love my crockpot. If you don’t love yours, you can make this on the stovetop. Which I did the other night and it took about 40 minutes.
1/2 to 1 pound Italian sausage – I’ve used turkey sausage and reduced fat too, it all works
1 onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
6 cups chicken broth or 1 48 oz can chicken broth – I use half broth, half water and bouillon
3 to 4 large carrots, sliced
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
1 zucchini, sliced or diced
a head or a few handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
Cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is done. Toss all the ingredients into your crockpot and give it a hug. Cover and cook 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Grandma Swain’s Sausage Soup
This is Grandma’s famous soup, talked about in hushed and reverent tones at family gatherings. We all adore this soup. It is fantastic. I usually have the ingredients on hand so I can whip this up anytime. Okay, I keep the ingredients on hand specifically so I can make it often. There have been fights over the last bowl.
1 lb. uncooked breakfast sausage links
1 small to medium sized onion, chopped
1/3 c. chopped green pepper (I often leave this out since the kids don’t like them)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 c. water
18-oz. can tomato juice (2 1/4 c.)
16-oz. can kidney beans, drained
1/2 c. long-grained rice (both white and brown work; brown just takes a little longer)
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown in a large saucepan. I usually throw the onion (and green pepper if I’m using it) in at the same time and let it cook with the sausage then add the garlic right at the end. Add water, tomato juice, beans, rice and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. We wipe out the entire pot in one sitting. This does not hold up well as leftovers since the rice turns super mushy. If you will have leftovers cook some rice separately from the soup and add a little to each bowl as you serve it.