Sausage, Potato, and Green Bean Soup

Sausage, Potato, and Green Bean Soup

My oldest wants to learn to make some of her favorite meals before leaving for college. This is one of her favorites. So I had to formally compile this recipe for her to follow. I thought I'd add it here. Someday, it may serve my daughters well to have access to my recipes via a quick Internet search. I thought I already had this recipe on my blog, but apparently, not. And I couldn't find it on any of my computer documents. So here's the way I make Sausage, Potato, and Green Bean Soup for my family. Every member of my family loves this creamy, yet savory and zesty winter soup. 

 

Ingredients:

 

Jimmy Dean’s Original Sausage

Approx. 4 large potatoes

One half onion, chopped

A few cups of green beans, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

Salt

1-2 cups sour cream

 

Directions:

Scrub potatoes and chop them into bite sized pieces. 

 

Note: You can leave the skins on the potatoes or you can use a vegetable peeler to remove some skin or all skin, whatever you prefer.  

 

Add the potato pieces to the soup pot and add water until potatoes are just covered. 

 

Bring potatoes to a boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes.  

 

Then add green beans and cook potatoes and green beans for 5-10 more minutes, until everything is soft, but not too soft, when you poke things with a fork. 

 

Take potatoes and green beans off the heat. Don’t drain the potatoes. The water will be used for the broth. Add the vinegar and salt. Stir. Sit this aside. 

 

While potatoes are boiling, you can brown the entire roll of sausage with the onion in a skillet, breaking sausage roll into smaller and smaller bits as the sausage browns. 

 

Drain the cooked sausage and onion on a large platter lined with paper towels. 

Set this aside until later. 

 

Once the potatoes and beans have cooled for at least 20 minutes, you can add the sausage to the soup. Stir. Then add the sour cream. Stir. 

 

You can test the soup. If it isn't warm enough, you can return it to a warmer temperature by heating it slowly, stirring consistently.  

 

Serve with Saltine crackers or soup crackers. 

 

Note: If you add sour cream directly to the too-hot soup, the cream will curdle. You can still eat it this way, but it looks unappetizing. So letting the broth and potatoes cool a bit before adding the sour cream, helps the soup remain smooth and creamy in texture and appearance.