Country Sausage Soup

January in Chicago is a full commitment to winter — it is not dabbling. It is single-digit temperatures and the sound of wind through the window frames at night and the particular effort of a cold car in the morning. I have a winter routine now: heavy coat, hat, the scarf Patty knit me in a color she called "cheerful blue." She gave it to me in December. I wear it every day from November through March and I think of her every time I put it on, which is what a mother's scarf is for.

IEP season has started — four of my eight students have annual IEP meetings in January and February. I am writing each one carefully: goals that are measurable, that matter to the child's actual life, that I can defend with data. I have spent more evenings this week on IEP drafts than on lesson plans. This is the paperwork side of the job that nobody talks about in the job descriptions. It is also important work. The IEP is the document that follows a child. I want every word in it to serve them.

Made a big batch of red lentil soup this week — the first time I have made the full recipe since early NIU days. The recipe has evolved: now I add a can of coconut milk at the end and a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of smoked paprika that I did not have in the dorm kitchen. Under three dollars for a pot that lasted five days. The dorm recipe was good. The current version is better. This is what two years of cooking does.

I read back through some of my old blog posts this week — the ones from 2017, the dorm kitchen posts. I read the butter pasta post and the Jess's birthday egg post and I did not cry, which felt like a significant thing. I felt something, but it was different — more like reading a friend's diary than reading my own. That version of me did the right things. She stayed. She cooked. She kept writing. I am glad she did.

The red lentil version is mine now — evolved, improved, something I’m proud of — but there are weeks when I want something with a little more weight to it, something that fills the apartment with the smell of sausage and herbs while I’m at the table finishing an IEP draft. This country sausage soup is that pot. It costs almost nothing to make, it lasts the week, and it is exactly what a Chicago January deserves to come home to.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb smoked kielbasa or country-style sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 cups chopped kale or green cabbage
1 can (15 oz) white beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook 4–5 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. In the same pot, add the onion and celery and cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Build the base. Add the carrots, potatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and water. Stir in the smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Simmer. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.
Add greens and beans. Return the sausage to the pot. Stir in the white beans and kale or cabbage. Simmer an additional 5–7 minutes until the greens are wilted and tender.
Taste and serve. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers. Stores well refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Country Sausage Soup — The Version I Make When January Asks Everything of Me