BAM! Sausage and White Bean Soup

This soup was inspired by the man himself, Emeril Lagasse. The original recipe, courtesy of the Food Network, can be found here. I used the recipe as a benchmark, but simplified it somewhat. The result is an easy-to-make, healthy winter meal.

Winter is, of course, the perfect time of the year for soup. And soup has the added perk of only getting better the longer it sits in the refrigerator: perfect for a college student like myself. Throw in some crusty bread with that bad boy, and man, are you in hog heaven.

So let's get down to business...

Ingredients:
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 package pre-cooked Johnsonville chicken sausage (I used the apple kind--delish)
1 can white beans
1 bay leaf
1 spring fresh thyme
Water
5 chicken bouillon cubes or 4 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of cayenne (in the absence of cayenne, I subbed Creole seasoning)

Directions:
1. Sweat down the onion in a stock pot on medium heat with a little olive oil for 5-7 minutes, or until the pieces are just beginning to become translucent. Add a little salt and pepper.
2. Add in the garlic and cook together for about a minute.
3. Chop up those snausages any size you want and add 'em in, allowing to heat together with the onions and garlic for a minute or so.

4. Add in the beans, bay leaf and thyme sprig. Remember to remove those herbs before serving.

5. If you are using chicken stock, add in 4 cups with 1 1/2 cups of water. If you're a broke college student (like me), throw in 5 1/2 cups of water with 5 chicken bouillon cubes. Add seasonings.
6. Give the whole thing a good stir and turn up the heat. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
7. Once it's done, adjust the seasonings and serve with crusty bread. Mmmm.

The thing I like about this soup recipe in particular is that it is so simple. You only have to chop 1 onion and some sausage, essentially throw everything in a pot, and ignore it for 3 hours. Very college-friendly. And pretty healthy, too!

P.S. This soup goes awesome in a bread bowl!