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Fantastic Kielbasa Bean Soup 01/11/12

Warm up on a chilly night with a bowl of this Kielbasa Bean Soup. Serve with a hearty serving of cornbread and you’ve got yourself a meal. Enjoy!

1 pkg kielbasa, smoked or polish sausage (if you want a healthier version, its fine to use turkey sausage – I do!)
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced thin
3 cans beans – any kind will do…a mix is even better (black eyed peas, small butter beans and either pinto or northern beans)
1 Tbsp brown or spicy mustard
1/2 to 1 Tbsp cider vinegar (to taste-to give it a little tang)
Montreal steak seasoning…or salt, pepper and a little garlic powder

Slice sausage links in half lengthwise then cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Slice onion

Spray either crockpot or medium to large saucepan or soup pot with cooking spray; add sausage and onion

Pour in the beans, liquid included; add vinegar and mustard- stir to combine (if this is too sour, you can add a tiny bit of sugar to take the edge off); stir in Montreal or other seasonings

Add just a bit of water to make more ‘stew’ like but not like a brothy soup – just enough to separate the ingredients a little bit- DO NOT cover the mixture with water

Turn crockpot on (low if you’ll be gone all day, high if you need it in a couple hours) or cook on stove – once it gets to a boiling point, turn heat down and let simmer until flavors blend…re-season to taste

** If you prefer a thicker stock once its done cooking, add a bit of cornstarch/water or use Wondra/gravy flour to thicken.