Fifteen Bean Sausage Soup

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

With the bitter cold throughout the country, hot warming soup, full of protein is a very sensible idea.

Watch me make this on NH’s ABC WMUR TV.

Please remember that if you are not used to beans and fiber, I describe it as having tummy rumbles and your tummy being in overdrive. This is what fiber does to your body until it becomes used to high fiber.

Gluten-Free Fifteen Bean Soup with Sausage

• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2” or so dice
• 2 large stalks of celery, washed, quartered lengthways and cut into 1/2” slices
• 2-4 sausages from 12 oz bag of 4 Al Fresco, gluten-free, cooked chicken sweet smoky bbq, sausage,  quartered lengthways and cut into ½ “ slices
• 8 cups gluten-free chicken or beef stock
• Stock concentrate to taste
• 1 x 20 oz/1+1/4 lb bag of gluten-free 15 beans soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• ¼ c gluten-free tomato ketchup
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp Penzey Arizona seasoning or Smoked Paprika, just a nice bite of heat, not hot. Optional, and can be left out if you are using a slightly spicy sausage
• 2 freshly roasted red peppers, pureed.  Once you have tasted freshly roasted red peppers you won’t go back to acidic tasting, bought jars. Optional.
• 1 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water to thicken, optional as my husband likes it slightly thickened.

Directions:

1. In large stock pot cook onions in olive oil until starting to brown. Add carrot and celery, sausage, and let gently cook for about 5 minutes without burning.
2. Add beans, stock, spices, tomato ketchup, bay leaves, Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook covered for about one hour until beans are tender. Remember to taste several different beans as sizes vary and so does cooking time. Dried beans that have sat in cupboard take longer to cook to tenderness. Hurst’s web site says to not soak beans, cook in slow cooker on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours. I haven’t tried that.  Cold weather it’s warming to have pot simmering on stove.  I have also soaked the beans overnight, drained and rinsed and then cooked them with rest of ingredients in my electric/digital pressure cooker with 5 cups, 40 fl oz fresh water for 15 minutes. Then npr.
3. Add pureed red peppers and cornstarch mix, bring back to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning and serve.

I have written a monthly recipe column for Beyond Celiac since January 2011. Remember I have a Culinary Arts degree as well as celiac disease and other food allergies so I know food and live this way daily.

Obviously, talks and appearances are currently canceled, but you can connect with me on FB at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh. I’ve just filmed recipes at home for NH’s ABC WMUR’s Cooks Corner and they are being aired. I am also being included in the nationwide library database of online presenters.

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh on FB, web or LinkedIn. Remember most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing. Real food is now being called clean eating.

For new recipes and lots of advice, my Delicious Gluten-Free e-cookbook only $20 available to download at www.glutenfreecookingwithoonagh.com, tips, recipes ranging from Grandma’s comfort soup to dinner party fare, full color photos, follow link for list of contents and thumbnail photos of full size photos in ebook.