Play-It-By-Ear Soup

• 2 medium carrots, 2 small onions, 2 stalks celery chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 plump clove garlic minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup each Kashi 7-Grain Pilaf, red lentils, split peas, and hulled barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dill weed
• A few twists of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 of 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes with their juice, crushed by hand
• 12 cups beef broth
• 1 fully-cooked Italian chicken sausages cut into pite-sized pieces
• 1 can dark red kidney beans drained
• Large handful of baby spinach

1. In a very large soup pot, saute the vegetables until softened and then add the grains and stir to coat. Add seasonings, the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. After 40 minutes, add the sausages, spinach, and kidney beans. and simmer another 20 minutes until the grains are softened.
2. This soup becomes thicker as it sits, especially after being refrigerated, so it can be thinned with water or a bit more broth for reheating.
3. Can also be made as a vegetarian soup using a vegetable broth and leaving out the sausage.

carrots, garlic, olive oil, peas, bay leaf, thyme, dill, ground black pepper, tomatoes, beef broth, chicken, dark red kidney beans, handful of baby spinach

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/play-it-by-ear-soup-58384703 (may not work)