My New Favorite Soup
- 1 12 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or 1 12 tablespoons your fav oil
- 16 ounces of your fav sausage, thinly sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices. (I used Echrich Lite Smoked Sausage, skin on)
- 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen onion and three pepper blend (comes already chopped)
- 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen leaf spinach (can use frozen chopped spinach if you prefer)
- 6 cups chicken broth (Best to make your own by boiling poultry parts, but if you buy it..spend the money for the good stuf)
- 7 -8 ounces light alfredo sauce with parmesan cheese (Use your favorite brand. That's about half a jar.)
- 4 -5 medium potatoes, quartered longways and then thinly sliced. I used a combination of bakers and reds. Really, whatever
- Read directions through before starting.
- My directions always give more detail than the average cook needs, but I do so for the sake of my own future accuracy.
- Heat a large skillet (to stir fry onions and peppers in) on medium high heat with the olive oil.
- Swirl pan to coat the bottom.
- When oil starts to shimmer, turn heat to high for 1 minute then carefully add the whole bag of frozen onions and peppers.
- Stir to coat the veggies evenly in the oil.
- Set your soup pot -- medium to large size pot beside the area you are going to chop your potatoes.
- Time to scrub and chop the potatoes.
- Quarter them longways (leaving the skin on helps the potatoes keep this nice shape in the end.
- I can't guarantee anything more than mush potatoes if you peel them) line them up and thinly slice.
- We're talking about 1/8 inch slices, here.
- Not big chunks.
- Texture is important.
- Put potatoes into your soup pot as you cut them.
- Stir onions a few times while doing the potatoes.
- The water from the ice crystals should be about gone when you finish the potatoes (maybe 5 minutes or so).
- If you are slow with the knife, just watch your onions and peppers and remove them when .see next step.
- When the water has cooked out of the onions and peppers and they are starting to sound like they are sizzling in the oil a little bit, add them to your soup pot with the potatoes.
- The peppers should have a nice bright color -- you don't want to cook them to death, here.
- Color is important in this soup.
- Now, turn burner down to low and let cool for 1 minute, then add empty fry pan back to burner.
- Then, get out your sausage and slice the sausage up first into four equal segments and then into those thin beautiful slices.
- I used a serrated knife -- whatever works quickly for you.
- Add the sausage to the pan as you get each segment cut.
- When you add the first segment of sliced pieces, turn the heat back up under your fry pan to medium-high.
- You want a few of your slices to get nicely browned.
- Start opening your broth, if you purchased cartons or canned.
- Measurements need not be exact -- you are looking for enough broth to cover the final ingredients.
- Add broth to soup pot with onions, peppers and potatoes.
- After sausage slices has browned VERY lightly, turn the burner up to high again and add the whole bag of frozen chopped or cut leaf spinach.
- Stir fry about 4-5 minutes until spinach is no longer frozen at all, but still very bright green.
- Do not overcook or the spinach will get brown looking and that just isn't very appetizing.Think canned spinach -- ick!
- Remove pan from burner (leave burner on and turn down to medium heat) and add sausage and spinach to soup pot.
- Put soup pot on burner med heat covered until it starts to bubble slightly.
- Then, lower heat to medium-low heat.
- Simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring about every 15 minutes.
- If your soup starts a rolling boil, then turn it down till it only simmers.
- You are cooking the potatoes and allowing the flavors to meld together, but you don't want a high heat ruining the texture or color of your ingredients.
- Keep the lid on.we don't want to reduce this soup.
- You should have enough liquid for the ingredients to be "swimming".
- If not, then add water or broth by the half cup until it's right.
- Taste your soup after 45 minutes and add any salt or pepper you think it might need.
- I didn't add anything (not even garlic powder that I dearly love) and we loved it!
- Remove lid and take pot off of hot burner.
- SLOWLY stir in half of your Alfredo sauce.
- Stir, stir, stir!
- Don't let your Alfredo separate on you!
- Your soup should have a milky tint.
- Like I said.if you want more Alfredo sauce -- feel free!
- Serve immediately.
- By the way, even though I was a stuffed little piglet after this meal, I couldn't help but sneak back for a taste before bed.and this soup is also good cold.
- Enjoy!
extra virgin olive oil, sausage, onion, frozen leaf spinach, chicken broth, light alfredo sauce, potatoes
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/my-new-favorite-soup-198607 (may not work)