Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet

This chilly weather is the perfect time to practice making all your favorite soups and stews. If you like rustic, hearty soups, you'll love the Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet. This slow simmered soup is so rich and full of flavor, you'll look forward to the left overs =)

Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet

Ingredients

Sausage:
5-6 Sweet Italian Sausage links
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Vegetables:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1/4")
4 stalks of celery, also thinly sliced
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 large yukon gold potatoes, cut about 3/4" pieces
2 cans white cannelini beans (drained)
4 quarts good chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 sprigs fresh oregano
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 large bay leaf
salt and pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil on medium heat. Remove sausage from casings and saute it in oil, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook until there is no more pink left. Using a spoon, scoop out sausage and set aside. In same pot with heat still on, add remaining 1/4 cup of oil and to it add carrot, celery and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Saute mirepoix until golden around the edges. Add garlic and continue cooking for about 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes aromatic. Add chicken stock, scraping up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, and then continue to add the remaining ingredients one at a time and season generously with salt and pepper (be careful if you use chicken stock that may be high in sodium. If so, you won't want to add as much salt. I recommend cooking with low sodium chicken stock, so you can better regulate the saltiness of your soup). Let soup come to a boil, and then lower heat to medium low and allow the soup to simmer for about an hour or until potatoes are tender. Add sausage back into pot, stir together and cook for another 10 minutes to heat sausage through. Serve along side a fresh french baguette and enjoy.

Serves 8 - 10 as an entree