Easy Fall Stew

I’ve been experimenting with some new recipes as of late. It always brings me great stress when I do though because nothing irritates me more than when The Candyman doesn’t like something I make.

On the other hand, nothing irritates The Candyman more than when I pester him about one of my dishes. He knows I’m sensitive about my cooking, so wants to be kind. However, if he doesn’t tell me how he feels about something, I might just keep making it, oblivious to his dislike of it. Like this weekend? I made some Mexican style breakfast burritos. I scarfed mine up, but The Candyman was sort of picking at it. When I asked him, he hemmed and hawed, saying he wasn’t that hungry. Yeah. Right. Like THAT ever happens. I finally got it out of him that he doesn’t like green pepper and shit in his eggs. I had no idea. I can’t believe I didn’t know  that about my own damn husband.

Anyway.

I wanted to share this dish with y’all because The Candyman likes it and:

A) It’s super easy.

B) It’s relatively quick.

C) It’s relatively healthy.

D) It’s inexpensive to make.

E) Leftovers might actually taste better than the first go ‘round.  

I made some changes to the original recipe based on the fact that there wasn’t as much liquid as I would have liked. The first time I made it, it was all pasta which made it slightly bland tasting. This version has a stronger, more tasty broth as well as more if it.

Quick Sausage, White Bean & Spinach Stew

Adapted from Woman’s Day, September 2011.  Active Time: 15-20 minutes Total: About 30 min. / Yields: About 6-7 full soup bowls.

1 T olive oil

12 oz. (1 package) Chicken Sausage, Italian variety

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 c dry white wine (or whatever you’ve got on hand)

1-32 oz. container + 2 cans low sodium chicken broth

1-1/2 c ditalini pasta (or other small soup pasta)

1 can cannellini or any white bean, rinsed

1 –10 oz. bag spinach, thick stems removed

1/2 t black pepper

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and fry – making sure you get lots of chunks on the bottom of the pan. I add a lid to keep the oil from splattering everywhere. Once the sausage is cooked through, remove and set aside on some paper towels. Once it has cooled, slice it into 1/4” thick pieces.

You want the bottom of your pan to look like this when you’re finished cooking the sausage.

2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about a minute, stirring. Don’t let it brown.

 

Sliced garlic and a little Two Buck Chuck!

3. Add in the wine and simmer for a minute or so, scrapping up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. This is what makes this dish super-yum.

4. Add the broth and the pasta and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.

 

So I mix my broth brands, what of it? I buy what’s on sale, yo!

5. Add in the white beans, sausage and pepper and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

  

Sliced sausage, beans and ground black pepper.

6. Removed from heat and add in the spinach, stirring gently until the spinach has wilted.

 

You can use packaged baby spinach if you want to save yourself a little time in de-stemming the spinach. However, it’s not quite as hearty and the leftovers don’t stand up as well. But in a pinch…

7. Now ladle it up into some bowls and top with some grated Parmesan cheese!

I might be a little heavy-handed on the cheese in this picture, but you know what? Cheese is good. I don’t believe in the phrase “this is too cheesy,” unless we’re talking about  Maria Carey’s movie Glitter.

So make some up for your hubby and serve it with a nice, crusty bread. It soul-warming good and perfect for Fall!

Comments

[independent clause]

Yum! Sounds good. And I think breakfast burritos rock. In New Mexico you can get potatoes, eggs, cheese, and hot sauce in a tortilla at all the coffee shops. So good. I'd eat them every day if I could.

[Mom]

Looks and sounds yummy! And fast! Adding this one to the recipe book, I think. Good job.