White Bean & Sausage Soup

I love to make soup. Everything goes in one pot, and you can use up all those leftover bits crowding the refrigerator. And leftover soup is even better! It always tastes better the second day. I make soup once a week, maybe every other week, and I make every soup pretty much the same way. I chop up onion, celery and carrot and saute in olive or canola oil. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Yesterday I added a pound of bulk sausage and cooked it along with the veggies. Here is the most important step for flavor - after the sausage is cooked through deglaze the pan with a few inches of chicken stock and boil for several minutes. This step creates that long simmered flavor without the extra time. Next I added three cans of small white beans (I drained and rinsed them first). Then more chicken stock to cover by a few inches and bring it to the boil. I added more salt and pepper and a tablespoon of chicken base. Simmer until the beans start to break down slightly and thicken the broth. Another great thing about making soup is that you can 'stretch it' for more guests by just throwing some more stuff in the pot....which is what I will have to do this evening. Last night when I was cleaning up I accidentally dropped the soup pot, sending a shower of beans all over the place. I didn't lose all of it, but boy did Murphy have a nice feast. :)