Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

We love soup at our house. I mean, really, what's not to love about a belly-warming bowl of goodness, especially on a frosty night like tonight? Soup has all the simplicity and versatility of a casserole without turning up any noses by its name. Even though I love my old standbys--taco soup, lasagna soup, baked potato soup, broccoli cheese soup, and white chili--I'm always on the lookout for a new favorite. Made in one pot, in under 30 minutes, and chock full of delectable flavor (plus a healthy serving of vegetables), this soup is definitely going at the top of my list.

There is one thing a little, well, strange about this recipe. It calls for an undrained can of beans.

I know, I know--I freaked out a little bit, too. I've never used a can of beans without draining it! What even is that cloudy goop I normally drain and rinse away? The first time I made this recipe, I reread it at least three times to make sure I understood correctly, and then I crossed my fingers and prayed I wasn't ruining the whole batch when I dumped in the can, goop and all. But it came out great!

Turns out, that goop is just salt, water, and the starch generated by the beans themselves, so it's actually quite useful for thickening and flavoring. Who knew? Well, now we both do, and I'm sure I'll be experimenting with bean goop more often from now on.

BTW, this soup was extra yummy served with some Ritz crackers crumbled on top.

Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 (15.5 oz) can undrained cannellini beans

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a stockpot, cook sausage. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in the stockpot. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.

Stir in flour.

Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken broth while stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a complete boil, add sausage and beans.

Heat through, and season with salt and pepper.

526 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Taco Mac

I don't know how on earth I missed this recipe all these years! Once I found it, I realized versions of it were all over the internet, but I loved it so much I had to add it to my own blog, as well. I'm a big fan of chili mac and taco spaghetti, which are similar to this in many ways, so it's no big surprise that I loved this familiar combo of meat, cheese, pasta, and tomatoes. Add in some taco seasoning, and you've got an easy, tasty new dish that should please just about everyone. Especially since it's made in one pan in under 30 minutes!

Taco Mac

Prep time 5 min, Cook time: 30 min

Serves 4

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (1 oz) package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup elbow noodles
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (or Mexican blend cheese)

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with onions over medium heat. Drain off any grease.

Add the can of tomatoes, broth, milk, tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Increase heat to medium high until the mixture begins to simmer.

Stir in noodles and reduce heat to low. Cover and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, until noodles are tender.

Stir in shredded cheese until melted. Serve and enjoy!