Sausage & Spinach Soup and Buttermilk Cornbread
by Unknown
Hello!
My little family went to Portland last week to visit my best friend and her boyfriend. I'll definitely be posting lots (and lots and lots) of photos from that trip soon! But first, here are a couple of simple, fast recipes. Today was the first day that felt like Autumn here in Davis (at least to me). It was cool this morning, didn't get above 80 degrees all day and there was a lovely breeze this evening. So, soup weather! This isn't even really a recipe, I just throw a few things together. But we love it, it's simple and satisfying and really tasty. To make it an actual meal, I also made buttermilk cornbread. Becks was a huge fan of it all!
Sausage & Spinach Soup
Yield: 6-8 servings
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb sausage (I used Spinach, Chicken & Chardonnay sausages), cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregeno
salt & pepper, to taste
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 boxes (64 oz) chicken broth
2 cans cannellini beans (any white bean will do), rinsed and drained
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft. Season with dried herbs, salt and pepper, then add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add beans and continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. About 10-15 minutes before serving, add the baby spinach and stir until wilted down. Add more salt and pepper, as desired. Serve and enjoy!
Buttermilk Cornbread:
Yield: 8-inch square pan (about 9 pieces)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal (I used course grind)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
Heat oven to 425 degrees and butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir or whisk briefly, until just combined (it's best not to over mix). Pour into greased baking pan, spread evenly and bake until golden brown and cooked through (20-25 minutes). Let cool in pan at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy however you like! Husband prefers his plain or with just butter, I like butter and honey and Becks would probably eat it any way you served it to him (plain in this case).
Cornbread adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
