a new favorite

I threw this together for a quick supper on Friday night . . . to my surprise, all of the elements worked together really well. That is what I call a serendipitous success.

You need three burners and just as many pots for this meal. But for all that, it's not complicated, especially if you make the soup ahead of time (or use canned soup).

You can serve this with grilled cheese to round out the meal. We two polished off the whole thing, but then, we like meat, especially the male half of us. :) If you're more restrained in your carnivory, this will serve more people.

Soup and Sausage*

creamy tomato soup (my recipe here)
8 to 12 oz pound mild sausage in its casing, cut into 3-inch sections
2 tablespoons butter
one small yellow or red onion, sliced
4 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
a splash or two of white cooking wine
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (homemade is best)
2 tablespoons spicy whole-grain mustard

1) Make your soup and let it simmer on very low heat. To minimize work at the last minute, make it ahead of time and simply reheat. (I make a really big batch and freeze it.)
2) On high, heat skillet large enough to hold sausage in a single layer; add sausage and let sear briefly. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook sausage 10-15 minutes, until no longer pink in the middle.
3) Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Saute 30 seconds; reduce heat to low, then cover and cook 10 minutes or until tender.
4) Whisk together mayonnaise and mustard in small bowl.
5) When you are ready to eat, remove lid from vegetables and increase heat to medium-high, stirring frequently to let vegetables brown but not burn. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Once you see those nice browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, splash in your white wine and stir briskly to deglaze.
6) Serve soup alongside sausage, sauteed vegetables, and mustard sauce. (The husband piled up his sausage and vegetables and spooned some soup on top, which created a great creamy-tomato sauce for the whole thing.) This meal is not elegant. But it is very good.

*I stink at naming recipes. Too cutesy, and I'd feel stupid talking about it. Too clever, and it sounds like a menu item at a molecular gastronomy restaurant. So I go for the obvious.

{image credit: photoshoporama Dan}

Shared on Simple Lives Thursday.