Asparagus and Sausage Soup

Asparagus and Sausage Soup

I had just picked up some beautiful asparagus and decided to use it in a soup. It was a chilly day and the thought of a nice, hot bowl of soup really appealed to me. I did my usual scouting around and found some sausage in the freezer. I thought it would go well with the asparagus. Added just a few other ingredients and had a great pot of soup in no time. That is the beauty of soup. You can toss all sorts of things together in a pinch and often come up with something quite wonderful. This combination is one I would most certainly make again.

Asparagus and Sausage Soup

2 T. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. breakfast sausage links, uncooked, sliced into ¾ -inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 c. chicken stock
1 lb. trimmed and washed asparagus- sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 t. ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil
Heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add sausage and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook a couple of minutes longer. Add stock and cook, covered until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus, peppers and seasonings and cook until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve. Serves 4-6.