This makes a ton of soup, and you can freeze it at will. It’s the kind of soup that sells itself, hits the spot, and has so much flavor and such a high level of comfort-foodness that you instantly feel better about life while eating it.
If that’s overstating it, I’m sorry, but my family never can get enough of these bean-grain-sausage concoctions.
You’ll see that two different starches are called for: rice and Israeli couscous. There is no reason for this other than that I had a bit of couscous left, but not enough for the whole batch of soup. Also, I love soups with a bounce-up of textures in them. You could use all rice, or all couscous, or any other grain you want to play with from spelt to farro. Just look at the cooking times of the grain you want to use, and work backward to figure out when to add it.
There are lots of flavored chicken sausages on the market these days — I went with the basic Italian-seasoned versions, hot or sweet, but you could try any version that seems compatible with this simple soup.
Also, know that soups thicken as they cool, so if you are planning to keep it for a day or two, you might find yourself needing to add some extra water or broth to loosen it up when you reheat it. This is also the kind of soup that is perfect when made ahead; the flavors deepen over a day or two in the fridge.
LEEK, CHICKEN SAUSAGE AND SPLIT PEA SOUP
Serves 12 to 14
Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
10 to 12 cups less-sodium chicken stock
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups split peas
1 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
12 to 16 ounces cooked chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
To garnish (optional):
Chopped fresh parsley
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Nutritional information: Nutrition information per serving: 258 calories; 61 calories from fat; 7 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 19 mg cholesterol; 412 mg sodium; 34 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 15 g protein.
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