Sausage Stoup

I made this recipe from Rachael Ray for the second time yesterday, and I thought I would share it because I love it so much! Of course, I am the only one in our house who will eat it, but it is good enough that I will go to all the trouble of making it just for myself.

Sausage, Beans, and Broccoli Rabe "Stoup"

2 T EVOO
1 lb bulk italian sweet sausage
1 med onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 Idaho potato, peeled and chopped into small dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped (3 cups)
1 quart chicken broth

Heat a medium pot or a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and sausage and brown, crumbling with a spatula. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, bay leaf, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook to begin to soften vegetables, 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and cook until just wilted. Add chicken broth and cover pot. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasonings, and serve stoup with grated cheese for topping.

It is super simple to make. I don't use the onion or the broccoli rabe, and we never have fresh cheese to put on top, but it is still really good. When I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and heat them up later, they taste even better because the food is picking up the flavor even more. I really really like this stuff! Mayble Pilly will eat it when she is bigger. Pnut thinks that she doesn't like anything in it, and of course, Joel doesn't like anything except the sausage. Maybe I should just fry the sausage and put the chicken stock in. That would be his kind of soup. I think that it is pretty healthy too. Beans are so good for you, and the only thing that is out of a can is the beans and the chicken stock. You could even make your own chicken stock if you were so inclined. You could probably buy dried white beans and soak them, but it is just easier to take them out of the can. So delicious!

I kept the girls up until almost 1:00 to see if they would take a better nap today. I hope that they do. They have only been sleeping about 45 minutes in the afternoon. That is not long enough!!

My mom has been coming by about twice a week (just started last week) because she got her new job ten minutes down the road. How awesome is that! It is fun to visit with her and have an adult to talk to in the middle of the day. The girls like having her come too. Pnut gets really excited and gets up to the window to talk to her before she even comes inside. That would be one of the hardest things about moving...she probably wouldn't come anymore. We would be a little farther away, and she doesn't like the city. I love my mom:)

I guess I ought to get to work. It sounds like things are starting to settle down in the girls' room. Hopefully, they will go to sleep in a few minutes instead of just Pnut being out of her bed doing something bad.