Soups are fantastic, especially in the fall and winter.   They are chocked full of nutrients and keep you warm and comforted in the cold months.  I love the wonderful smells that emanate from my kitchen when my “creation of food medleys” is stewing in one single pot.There’s nothing better than heading upstairs or to another room and returning to the inviting smell simmering away.  On one particularly odd late fall day, I decided to make a sausage soup in my brand new crock pot I got dirt cheap through a local Facebook Garage Sale page.  Today was in the 50’s in December, but it must be the upcoming cold front coming through and the potential snow storm having me in a state of soup euphoria.

I came home with a pound of our local farmer’s Italian sausage and was on a mission to make a hearty meal.

This recipe is for a 5 quart slow cooker.   This recipe will work just as well on the stove top in a 4 or 6 quart pot.

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian Sausage sliced and each slice halved.

½ shallot thinly sliced

5 scallions thinly slice (whites and ¼ of the green portion above the white)

2 celery stalks sliced

4 carrots peeled and sliced (if you have a crinkle cut slicer, it makes a nice presentation)

1 large red pepper diced

32 oz beef stock

1 large garlic clove peeled and diced

1 handful of kale broken up into small bits

1 handful of spinach, each leaf stacked, rolled into a long strip and cut thinly to make small strips.

Pepper to taste.

1.  Using a slow cooker, stock pot, or large pot.  Cook sausage on low to medium heat until ¾ ways finished.
2. Add shallots, scallions, celery, carrots and red pepper.  Sauté in sausage juices and sausage until ingredients soften slightly and flavors begin to blend.
3. Add beef stock.  Cook for another hour and stir every 10-15 minutes
4. Add garlic, kale and spinach.  Simmer for another 30-40 minutes and continue to stir.

Serve yourself a bowl with a nice glass of merlot or some lemon water.

Enjoy! Deb