Soup’s On: Garlic, Sausage, and Red Pepper Soup

This spicy soup is perfect for those of you who prefer a lighter winter soup. No potatoes, no cream, nothing too rich - just good hearty sausages and tender red peppers. Oh, and enough garlic to wake the dead.

It’s also just about the easiest soup we’ve ever made. It has 5 basic ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to put together. Be sure to have plenty of crusty bread on hand!

Garlic, Sausage, and Red Pepper Soup
Adapted from a recipe by Lois Anne Rothert

1/2 lb. spicy fresh sausages
3 red bell peppers
3 tbsp olive oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts of water
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Red Wine Vinegar (optional)

Remove the sausage meat from the casings and seed the peppers. Cut the peppers into large pieces, about 1 inch by 2 inches. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pan over medium heat. Add the sausage, garlic and red pepprers and sauté until the sausage meat is browned. Add the water and bring to a boil.

You can use a little bit of chicken stock to give the soup a richer flavor and a full body. We used about 1 cup of stock in the 2 quarts of water.

Once the soup boils, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cayenne pepper to taste - be careful, as some sausages make for a very spicy soup. Add salt to taste. Serve with lots of bread. You can also serve this soup with a small bottle of red wine vinegar, which guests can add to their taste.