Italian Sausage Bean Soup

If your ingredients are flavorful, you don't need a lot of fat. A single Italian sausage link will do. Once your beans are cooked, this soup takes no time at all.

Ingredients

• Italian sausage link (about 1/4 pound)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 3 cups cooked white beans
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 2 cups shredded fresh escarole or spinach

Directions

Remove the sausage casing.

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add sausage, stirring to break up the meat into small crumbles. Brown the meat and remove some of the sausage fat by blotting with a paper towel. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté briefly. Add beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, and tomatoes. Heat thoroughly by bringing to a low boil.

Just before serving, add the escarole or spinach and stir until just wilted (it should stay a vibrant green).

Serves 6

Each serving contains about 214 calories, 16 g protein, 5 g fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 32 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber, and 203 mg sodium.