grandpa's portuguese soup.

and she's back at it again with the soups!i have to tell you guys, this is one of those recipes i'm a bit embarrassed to even post. not because this soup is not delicious...it is. but it's so mindlessly easy to make that it feels like i'm cheating by calling it a recipe. this is one of those soups that you make when you want something homemade, but you don't want to have to go buy a bunch of ingredients that you won't ever use again, or that are going to hike up your grocery bill. this is such a good thing to make if you're looking for an inexpensive but filling recipe that everyone will like. you can just tell your kids that the kielbasa is hot dogs and call it hot dog soup, and you're all good. (sidebar: in our house, we call breakfast sausage "breakfast hot dogs" so Amelia won't question why she should eat them...) the cabbage, potatoes and beans in this help to bulk it up and make it really filling, even though there aren't that many ingredients. it freezes beautifully and makes a huge batch. this would be a great recipe to make if you need to bring a meal to a new mom...no dairy, not spicy, and it takes no time to throw together, plus you can keep half of it for your own dinner that night without having to double the recipe.i know we're headed out of soup season, and i really let you guys down in the soup arena this winter, so i'm going to make some of the more "springtime" soups in the cookbook here in the next couple months to make up for it. although it snowed here in minnesota today, so i guess it's still kind of soup season here in a way. gross.portuguese soup (makes a large batch without doubling)

• 6 C. chicken stock or broth
• 1 lb. smoked kielbasa sausage, diced
• 1 lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 medium head of green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

combine all ingredients in a large pot. bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. reduce heat; simmer until thick, stirring occasionally (about 2 hours).vegetarian substitutes: 

• use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
• omit the kielbasa (can also add another can of a different type of bean, like great northern to add more bulk)

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