Sausage Stew

I came across a recipe for Polska Kielbasa Stew a few months ago when I had a couple of pieces of sausage to use, but didn’t feel like just throwing it into a pot of tomato sauce.  This is a very hearty stew that bodes well to additions and substitutions.

For this particular meal, I used some fresh pepper and onion sausage I picked up from Harris Teeter.  They have one of the best grocery store fresh sausages.

Ingredients

1 pound sausage cut into bite size chunks

1 small onion chopped

4 carrots sliced

1 can red kidney beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed

1 can cannellini beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups water

1.5 cups frozen chicken broth (I used this because I had it on hand, you need about 3-4 cups chicken broth)

3 tablespoons minced garlic (or 3 garlic cloves – I didn’t have any fresh garlic on hand)

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Adobo to taste

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces), undrained (optional)

1 1/2 cups pasta of your choice (optional)

Directions

1.  Heat a couple of drizzles of olive oil in saucepan over medium high heat

2.  Add sausage and brown for 3-4 minutes

3.  Add onions and garlic and brown until translucent, 3 minutes

4.  Add broth, kidney beans, cannellini beans, carrots, and seasoning

5.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes

I left out the pasta and tomatoes this time.  I served this with some nice bread from Panera Bread.