Okay, okay, I know, it’s not a new one, but I couldn’t help it! This is based on a recipe from last December, which is based on one from the December before that. When we have these cooler summer days (wait, is it really late August in Durham?) all I want for dinner is soup! That and the fact that my husband decided to crank up the A/C to like, a gazillion-below-zero in our house. I seriously pondered bringing out the winter clothes.
This time, I had chicken sausage instead of turkey, so I used that instead. Also added pearl barley to bulk it up a bit, which was a good choice because I plan on turning the leftover soup into salad (chilled and poured over some spinach) for lunch tomorrow, and I think the barley will do a nice job of sopping up some of the leftover juice so that I’m not ending up with soup in my lap as I eat it with a fork! But Claire, you HATE salads, you say!
Ha.
Happy October- I mean, Tuesday!
- 1 tbsp EVOO
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 links fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 6 whole carrots, sliced into “buttons”
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried Italian herb blend
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 cans Great Northern or Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans no-salt added diced tomatoes, in their juice
- 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
- 1 48 oz carton of low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 large bunch of fresh kale or spinach, rinsed well and torn into small pieces
- 1 bunch raw broccoli/cauliflower
- Salt and pepper, to taste (I love my truffle salt!)
- Grated parmesan cheese, to taste
- Crusty whole grain bread
- Heat EVOO in a saute pan on medium heat.
- Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until soft, about 4 minutes. Add all herbs and sausage and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. Make sure to scrape up all the brown bits in the bottom of the pan!
- Add onion mixture to a large stockpot.
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and barley to stockpot and bring to a boil. Add beans and reduce heat to low. Simmer with lid tilted 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Right before serving, stir in kale and remaining veggies until bright green in color (about 2 minutes).
- Ladle stew into bowls. Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper and parmesan cheese.
- Serve with a side salad and crusty whole grain bread for dunking!
Claire Tastes 
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