Debbie's Mouth Watering Italian Sausage Soup

   Flavor doesn't always depend on a certain ingredient.  Many times it's the blend of flavors that makes you go wow!  If you just scan through the list of ingredients for this recipe, you may think how can Italian sausage, potatoes,  green peppers, and kidney beans ever taste good together?  If you do, you'll really miss out.  

    The first time I had this soup was way back in the early 1980s when my friend Debbie made it for dinner.  She served it with a salad and warm sour dough bread.  It was fantastic!! A few weeks ago I started thinking about that soup, and so I did a Google on it because I I wanted to get the broth right.  When I found this version on Calorie Count and made it, I knew I had found it again. The only thing I omitted were the tomatoes because Debbie never used them, but if they sound good, you can add them.  

    So when I served this soup to my son-in-law who is half Italian, and,  of course, because he grew up with his father making lasagna and spaghetti like his family did in Italy, he has these discriminating Italian taste buds.  So I'm sure you can imagine whenever I make anything Italian, I'm a bit nervous until he gives me the thumbs up.  And just so you know-  this soup got a big thumbs up!  

Italian Sausage Soup - for 4 to 6

1.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Slice 1 onion into thin slices.
(2)  Slice 1 green pepper.
(3)  Quarter 2-3 russet potatoes lengthwise and then cut into eights. Then cut in half.
(4)  Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic.

2.  Prepare meat:  Cut up 1/2 pound of beef sirloin into thin strips.  Cut 4 Italian sausages into rings.

3.  Cook meat and vegetables:  In a large skillet cook 1 lb of chicken Italian sausage and 1/2 pound of beef sirloin cut in strips.  Then add the onions and green peppers.  Cook until the meat is cooked and the vegetables are tender.

4.  In a soup pot or put it all in a crock pot on low for 6+ hours:
(1)  Put 8-10 cups of water and bouillon or use beef stock.
(2)  Add the ingredients from the skillet
(3)  Add  the potatoes.
(4)  Add spices:  1/2 t oregano, 1/2 t basil, 2 t salt, and 1/2 t black pepper. Note:  If you put this in the crock pot, don't forget to add the herbs towards the end --one of my crock pot cookbooks say you do this so their flavors don't intensify. 
(5)  Cook for about 10 minutes.
(6)  Add one 15 oz can of kidney beans.
(7)  Cook for about 5 more minutes.
(8)  Taste and adjust any seasonings.

List of My Favorite Soups, Chili & Stew Recipes: 

Beef 

Grandma's Favorite Beef Stew  (My mother-in-law's delicious recipe!)

Just Like Home Ukrainian Borscht   (A Polish student  said this tasted like his mom's!)
Mouth Watering Italian  Sausage Soup   (This is my friend Debbie's recipe)

Poultry

This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!   (A recipe my son modified)

Mexican Fiesta Chicken Soup   (A recipe I got years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
My Thanksgiving Turkey Soup  (My very own special concoction!)
Gary's Incredible Gluten Free Arkansas Gumbo  (Given to me by a Bible study friend from Arkansas)
Jeannie's French Market Soup  (A friend from when my kids were little)
Southwest Turkey Soup  (From my Syre School cookbook)

Fish
Northwest Salmon Chowder  (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Almost Like Ivar's Clam Chowder (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)

Bean & Legumes
Vi's Best Chili  (A  Bible study friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country Style Lentil Soup   (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup (From a store recipe card)
Marilyn's Make It From Scratch Chili  (From my mother-in-law)

Vegetable

My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
Downright Delicious Potato & Kale Soup  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
A Great Fall Soup - Make it From Scratch Corn Potato Chowder  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
French Pumpkin Soup  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Asian
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage (Modified from Internet search by our Chinese students)
Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!  (Modified from a newspaper article)
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Modified by a Chinese student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup  &  Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup  (Modified  from a student's recipe)

Vegetarian & Gluten Free Tom Yum Soup (A delicious Thai soup) 
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)   (Adapted from Internet search)
A Thai Mom Teaches Me How to Make Tom Yum Kung  (A student's mom's recipe)
A Vietnamese Cooking Lesson - Lien's Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup  (An International student's aunt's recipe)
Cooking Beef Pho for Vietnamese Students  (Modified Recipe)
Asian Curried Chicken Soup  (From my Come & Dine church cookbook)