Sausage & White Bean Soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet or hot italian sausage, in the casing
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto ham, minced
• 2 medium onions, in medium dice
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and in medium dice
• 2 medium celery stalks, in medium dice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 3 (15.8 ounce) cans great northern or other white beans, undrained
• 1 quart chicken broth (carton or can)

Recipe

• heat oil in a large, deep saute pan or soup kettle over medium-high heat. when pan is hot, add sausages; cook, turning once or twice, until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. (sausage will not be fully cooked at this point.) remove from pan. when cool enough to handle, cut into slices 1/4-inch thick.
• add prosciutto, onions, carrots, celery and thyme to the empty skillet; cook, stirring often, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. in a small bowl, mash one can of beans with a fork into a chunky puree. add broth, whole and mashed beans, and sausage; cover and bring to a simmer. reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, partially covered, to blend flavors, 20 minutes. let rest 10 minutes; serve.