Quick Sausage, Bean and Spinach Stew

stock photo courtesy of Women's Day Magazine

I don't often cook on Sundays, opting instead for sammies (sandwiches) or leftovers.  Today was another story.  Not only did I get TONS of extra produce in my Bountiful Baskets selection this week, I also got the hostess pack which in itself seemed like a full second basket!  So, this family of five that usually goes thru a basket a week, now has a TON more!  I'm excited for the challenge to make even more fresh family friendly meals ... all before anything goes bad!  Bring it on!  

I found this recipe when I was trying to kill time at one of my many doctor visits.  I liked a lot of the recipes in there, so took a snapshot of the magazine front and just recently remembered to pick it up at my local library.  Boy am I glad I remembered. 

Not only was this recipe FAST and EASY, it's delicious, too!   Perfect!  I worried that my kids wouldn't like the spinach in the stew, but my drama-filled 7 year-old happily ate the spinach singing "I'm Popeye the Sailor Girl! Toot Toot!".  No lie! My 4 year-old gobbled up the sausage.  All in all, it was a smashing hit!  Everyone gave two thumbs up. Mom and Dad had seconds and there were ZERO leftovers! Success!!!

You can definitely change this up easily adding a twist of variety using different sausage varieties as I did, or by using a different shaped pasta.  Use what you have on hand...that's the beauty of this recipe!  It's incredibly VERSATILE! 

{sausage, bean and spinach stew}

1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz ground sausage
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 32-oz container low-sodium chicken broth (A MUST! otherwise too salty with the sausage)
Water-amount depends on how soupy you want it
4 oz ditalini pasta or other soup pasta (about 1 cup)
1 15.5-oz can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed
Black pepper
1 10-oz bag spinach, thick stems removed (I used one bunch and would have preferred two)
1 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1/4 cup)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse fat off and return to pan.
2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let it brown). Add the 1/2 c. broth and simmer, scraping up any brown bits, for 1 minute.
3. Add the 32oz. broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the beans and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add extra water and the spinach, stirring gently until it begins to wilt. Serve with the Parmesan.

{link to recipe on Women's Day website}

Garden Vegetable Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups.  Not because it's delicious, because it totally IS, but because it's all vegetables!  I can snack on this soup and feel completely guilt-free while filling my tummy!  I {HEART} it!  For those of you that are Weight Watchers groupies, this soup will definitely look familiar.  Though, I've switched up the ingredients a bit and added my own personal flair, I think you'll like it even better than the original.  I know I do!

I mean, really, doesn't that soup scream DELICIOUS!!!!????

All my measurements are a ballpark of what I use.  Usually I just eyeball it and use the whole item, i.e. whole onion, whole zucchini, whole cabbage, etc.  I don't like leaving 1/2 of anything in my fridge to spoil that much faster.  No matter how you cook this soup, it's going to taste fantastic!!!  Just remember to use as many low-sodium and salt-free canned foods as possible!  You really don't need all that added sodium!

{garden vegetable soup}
Modified from Weight Watchers

1 1/2 c. sliced carrot
1 c. diced onion
4-5garlic cloves, minced
5 c. low-sodium broth (my favorite in this one is beef, but if you must you can also use chicken or vegetable)
6 c. (or one whole head) diced green cabbage (I {HEART} Cabbage so the more the merrier)
1 14oz. can salt-free green beans
2 14oz. cans salt-free diced tomatoes, WITH juice
2 Tbsp. salt-free Tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. salt-free Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. diced zucchini
2 tsp. Olive Oil
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired

Coat an extra large dutch oven with olive oil (of course you can use cooking spray, too but the olive oil lends such a delicious flavor and is good for you), heat.  Saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 min.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, about 15 min or until beans are tender.  Stir in the zucchini and heat for 3-4 min.  Serve HOT. (with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.)

Serves 12.

Coming Next:

Sloppy Janes

Quinoa with Black Beans

Before I made this recipe, I had never really tried Quinoa.  I've heard a lot of great things about it but didn't know THAT much, so when my cousin posted this recipe on her blog I was intrigued.



This is what she says, "I had read about it before in health food articles but had never actually seen it or tried it (and I didn't know how to pronouce it: keen-wa). It's really good and, even better, it's really good for you!

This excerpt is straight from Wikipedia: "Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.""

I've found this absolutely delicious!  It's great as a main dish for lunch, a topping for green salads, an added flavor inside bean and cheese burritos, a main ingredient in tacos, etc.  If you like that Mexican flavor and spice, you won't be disappointed!  

Quinoa & Black Beans

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 small to medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin*

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper*

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 can black beans

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir in corn and simmer until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

*Or substitute 1 1/4 teaspoons of taco seasoning instead of the cumin and cayenne.

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

I think I'm in the mood for soups lately.  They all look and taste so delicious!  I file recipes away once I like them and forget to pull them back out until I've stuck myself in a rut like I was in last week.  Well, this one is a BIG winner!  A touch spicy, full of robust flavor and definitely qualifies for comfort food.  The best part is how fast and EASY it is to make and how incredible the flavor is in comparison.  You're going to love it!

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

3 Italian Turkey Sausage Links (4 oz. each), casings removed (I used the roasted red pepper chicken sausage links from Costco-1lb.)

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 -14 1/2 oz cans chicken broth
1 3/4 c. water
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 -14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (9oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 -6oz. package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp dried.

1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash Crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble (or thinly slice) sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water and tomatoes and bean. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 min longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Serves 7.

Chipotle Bean Burritos

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

I made this recipe for my family a couple of weeks ago for dinner one night. We were AMAZED at how absolutely delicious it was...and FAST to prepare!! A bit like refried beans "gourmified" and deliciously fancy. The seasonings are incredibly flavorful and spicy. My kids LOVE beans, as do my hubby and I so this was perfect! Another great thing about it is that it's vegetarian! We saved money on meat by just using the beans (though this seasoning combination would be fantastic with taco meat!). We could have saved more money if I could take a few extra minutes planning the day before and cooked dry beans in my crockpot, but we all know how hard it is to plan ahead sometimes. I even threw in some of my cooked wheat berries for good measure and to make the bean mix stretch a bit.

The original recipe says it serves 6, but that is being too generous. I'd say it's more like 4 adults. So if you're planning on having any leftovers, make double. You'll be glad you did!!!

Chipotle Bean Burritos

Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burrito)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas (such as Mission)
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)
1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
6 tablespoons light sour cream

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.

2. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010