We’re making this for dinner tomorrow and I had to search all over the place to find my recipe! So I’m copying it here in the hopes that I don’t lose it again. This is great for a cool fall or winter day. It makes a ton and it’s relatively inexpensive.
Italian Sausage and Bean Soup
3 (28 oz) cans stewed tomatoes (at least 1/2 should be whole tomatoes)
2 (16 1/2 oz) cans baked beans
2 (16 oz) cans green beans
1 1/2 lb mild or hot Italian sausage
1 lg onion
1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp salsa (medium or hot)
Slice the onion and cut the slices in half. Brown the sausage w/ the onions
until cooked. Chop the sausage up as it cooks so it has a loose consistency.
Drain sausage and put into pot.
Put the stewed tomatoes into the pot and break up the whole ones w/ your
hands. Drain the green beans and chop them into smaller pieces. Pour the
green beans and baked beans into the pot. Add the Italian seasoning and
salsa. Heat on high or medium high until bubbly, then cover and simmer on
low for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally.
One batch makes approximately 15 servings.
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My variation!
***I buy all diced tomatoes…I just can’t bring myself to put my hands in
and break up the whole ones!
***I put the onion in my food processor and chop it into really tiny pieces.
I hate onion and this way I don’t get a big piece in my mouth! I also put
the cooked sausage into the food processor so the sausage is sure to be in
small pieces. Works like a charm!
***I actually use 2 pounds of sausage…1 lb mild and 1 lb hot. To combat
the extra sausage, I add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 8 oz of water. That
way it doesn’t get too thick.
***I put it all in my Crock-Pot on low for about 5 hours. Let me say,
though, that you need a BIG Crock-Pot to do this! I think mine is 6.5
quarts, and it’s completely full! You definitely need a good sized stock pot
if you choose to do it on the stove.
