Sausage & Bean Soup - 5 WW Points

I have 2 soups on the go at the moment which I love for lunch, I would have more but my blender has broken so I can't blend my soups up and I refuse to buy canned soup.

Both are delicious and Weight Watcher friendly soups and that's a bonus. So if you are looking for a light meal or a soup to go with your lunch these are ideal without adding too many points. Both soups are fantastic even if you are not watching your weight.

First up is this hearty and warming Sausage and Bean soup, it is my favorite and doesn't need to be blended and lasts me 3 to 4 days depending on how big I like my serves


Sausage and Bean Soup

Ingredients
9oz (250g) Cherry tomatoes, halved
Cooking spray or 4 tbsp olive oil (if you're not on WW)
1 onion -finely chopped
2 chicken sausages(raw)* or other good quality pure-meat sausage, peeled and roughly crumbled (and if you're not on WW use 7oz/200g of good quality sausage)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp crushed chilli flakes/red pepper flakes
14oz can Cannellini beans (white kidney beans) rinsed and drained
3 cups of chicken or veg stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley or basil chopped (optional)

Serves 3/4 - My WW kitchen Companion App points this soup up to be - WW points 6 per serve for 3 serves or 5 points per serve for 4 serves.

*chicken sausages I use are Trader Joe's Spinach, Fontina and Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausages and I use 2 per recipe (which is 7 WW points)
make sure you check the points on your sausages as the WW points may vary depending on the type and brand of sausage you use and adjust your points accordingly

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350f (180c). Place tomatoes on a baking tray and spray with cooking spray (or drizzle with half the olive oil) sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper, turn to coat well. Roast for about 15 minutes or until softened and slightly wilted, then remove from oven and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar
2. Meanwhile, spray a heavy bottomed pot over a medium heat (or use rest of the olive oil) add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Stir in sausagemeat, garlic and pepper flakes, and cook, stirring for 5-10 mintues or until the onion is pale yellow.
4. Stir in the beans and stock, bring to a boil, adjust the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and their juices and stir in half the parsley or basil (if using)
*see note below*
6. Ladle out a cupful of the beans and tomatoes without too much liquid, and process until smooth in a blender.
7. Stir back into the pot, then simmer the soup steadily for 10 minutes. If it is too thick, thin with a little hot stock or water.
8. Stir in the rest of the herbs and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, pepper flakes, and balsamic vinegar to taste.

*as I have a non operational blender I do not follow steps 6&7, instead I allow my soup to simmer for a further 5 minutes after step 5, then I complete step 8.

Lovely Tomatoes ready for roasting

Sausages peeled and crumbled

This recipe is quick and easy to do - just make sure you peel the casings off your sausages.

Simmering away

I always look forward to this soup as it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and it's so hearty and warming and fills me up. I have this on it's own for lunch so I serve the bigger portion at 6 WW points.

Freshly ladled up

I can imagine this would be great made with a good quality Chorizo sausage and served with a lovely slice of french bread - too many points for me though.