The Perfect Soup for a Quick and Easy Fall Dinner

"The soup" does not have an official name, because we made it up. One winter, about four or five years ago, we'd moved into a new apartment and our radiator was broken. We were cold and hungry and desperately in need of a hearty fix that would warm our shaking hands, and more importantly, our lowered spirits. With a close friend in tow, we set out for the neighborhood market with the notion of making soup. But as everyone has learned the hard way, it's never a smart idea to go to the grocery store hungry. We ended up with a mishmash of veggies, chicken broth, and other miscellaneous ingredients to combine with crossed fingers that it would be exactly what we needed, and if anything, that it would taste all right.

As you know, this made-up recipe completely exceeded our mediocre expectations; besides giving us the much-needed warmth and comfort required to stay in that apartment, it was absolutely delicious. Over the years, we have made this soup many different ways, tailoring it to who we are cooking for, or to our personal cravings at the moment. Besides the original recipe, we're also including a couple of recommendations for extra ingredients that we've added over the years and have really enjoyed.

One of the things we love the most about this soup is that it is excellent for leftovers. Normally we like to make a large batch of it on Sunday or Monday night for dinner, so we can take it for lunches for the rest of the week or freeze for later in the month. Since the soup makes about eight servings, it is a great meal for dinner parties with little cleanup involved. Plus, it only takes between an hour or two to make and practically cooks itself, allowing you extra time to get ready or take care of other last-minute chores before the company arrives.

And if by chance you happen to come up with a fitting name for this soup, let us know! It's about time it had a name of its own.

The Soup
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped


• 1 pound of sausage, quartered(we normally use the Aidells sun-dried tomato chicken sausage)


• 64-70 oz. of chicken broth


• Salt, fresh thyme, and red pepper chili flakes, all to taste


• 1 large zucchini, chopped


• 28 oz. of diced or stewed tomatoes


• 4 oz. of diced green chilies


• 3.5 cups (or 15 oz.) of kidney beans


• 3.5 cups (or 15 oz.) of black beans


• 3.5 cups (or 15 oz.) of white beans


• 3.5 cups (or 15 oz.) of sweet yellow corn


• 1 bunch of kale, chopped into bite-size pieces

Additional ingredients:

• We've found that tortellini is an excellent addition, making the soup more similar to a minestrone. The tortellini can be added towards the end of the soup simmering, in the last 15 minutes. However, if you are planning on making a lot of soup for leftovers, leave it out--the tortellini can get very mushy after being reheated.


• Cilantro goes well with the overall flavor, and can be thrown in with the kale at the very end to keep it from getting too wilted.


• Mozzarella cheese is a good garnish, but it can be as messy as it is tasty--don't melt it on top if you are hosting people you are less familiar with, as it can lead to people uncomfortably wiping cheese off their mouths during dinner, potentially embarrassing some guests.


• If you are interested in making a vegetarian version, exchange a veggie sausage or field roast for the sausage, and use vegetable broth.
  

Preparation:

Melt enough butter or olive oil in the pot to coat the bottom, over medium heat. Once the temperature has been brought up, throw in the quartered sausage, onions and zucchini, and sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes, until cooked. Once the sausage is cooked and the onions are soft, add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, seasonings, and green chilies, and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, bring the temperature down to low-medium heat and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. While the soup is simmering, rinse your beans in the sink and combine with the corn in a bowl or colander, and set aside. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

After the soup has finished simmering, add the kale, beans, corn, and any additional seasoning needed. Cook the soup on low-medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is done to your liking. Add any garnish of your choice, such as mozzarella cheese, and serve.