North Woods Bean Soup

*Asha*'s Note:

Easy and delicious kielbasa and bean soup from my favorite magazine Cooking Light. Serve it with crusty bread or garlic toast for satisfying meal.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 5

• 1 cup baby carrot , halved
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 7 ounces turkey kielbasa , halved lenghtwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (15 7⁄8; ounce) cans great northern beans , drained and rinsed
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
2. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, seasoning and beans.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Place two cups of soup in a blender, process until smooth.
7. Return the pureed mixture to pan and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
8. Remove soup from heat.
9. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.
10. Enjoy.

Reviews

[Chef #734709]

Yum! Thanks for posting!

[Mrs. DeVelopment]

I'm not giving stars because I think it is the kielbasa-in-soup part that I just didn't like. I love kielbasa/smoked sausage fried up - oh yum! But, I cut it into cubes, fried it up and added it to this yummy soup that would have been way better off without it. I need a "crust" on my sausage :) I also added about 1/2 a yellow pepper that I had in the fridge, and a can of tomatoes. Nice flavor though. I added kielbasa after blending.

[Melissa and Her Pants]

We loved this! I am going to play with it and try to find a way to omit the kielbasa from the puree because it bothers me a little bit, but other than that it is truly VERY good. Rustic and yummy. It screams for bread!