Hearty Tomato Bean Stew

This is a great winter stew – very filling and delicious.  I used polish sausage to impart a smokey flavor, but this would also be great without it in its vegetarian version.  Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 large piece of polish sausage, chopped into small chunks
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• pinch of crushed pepper flakes
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 14oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 T tomato paste
• boiling water
• parsley and parmesian for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When hot, add sausage and cook until it starts to lightly brown.
2. Add onion, celery, garlic, and carrots, along with a pinch of salt.  Cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
3. Add tomato, beans, bay leaves, and just enough boiling water to cover the ingredients in the soup.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, until the beans and vegetables are tender.
4. Remove bay leaves, blend ingredients until consistency is smooth, then garnish with sprigs of parsley and grated parmesian.