Simple and Quick Sausage and Broccoli Soup

Sometimes you just don’t have enough meat  to fill the plates for dinner, such was the case last night. The children—ha, they’re adults with children, but our children none-the-less—stayed for supper and I had only put out the one package of sausage; what to do? Simple, cut into quarters and dice it, add broccoli, and soup base and it’s a meal. My daughter complained that she ate too much, but that’s a given with soup…easy to over-eat a good soup.

3 tbsp olive oil

1 pckg Eckrich Mesquite Sausage (diced)

1 cup broccoli floweret’s and stems

3 to 4 tbsp Adam’s diced onions

4 tbsp flour

1/3 cup Worcestershire

2 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tsp cilantro

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup milk

In a 3-oz. sauté pan, over medium-heat, add olive oil and allow to come “up too” temperature. Add the sausage, onions, and broccoli, allowing them to heat through. When the vegetables have softened, sprinkle with flour and stir together; coating the vegetables and meat. Add Worcestershire, water, and bouillon cubes, allowing them the pan to reheat the mixture. Reduce heat to medium, and add cilantro, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Add 1 cup milk and cook approximately 20 to25 minutes, reducing the heat to low and allowing the flavors to mingle properly.

Note: I did have to add a little more flour because I had underestimated the heat. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour before introducing the liquids. The flavor is similar to sausage and cabbage soup. Mediterranean Oregano might be substituted for the Italian Seasoning. 

What’s That Smell?

What’s that smell is a good question when you are unfamiliar with spices? Some cooks have an inherent ability to smell the spice and know the way it will taste, while others are, well, are smell-blind. At any point, while following a recipe, if you are instructed to add a large amount of spice, smell it first then take and a tiny taste. They are deadly—not in the biblical sense—and can ruin a meal for those of even strong stomachs and constitutions. Fortunately, I’m married to one of these guinea pigs.



Having cooked for over 4-decades, I’ve rarely botched a meal (lately), but the choice of a recipe that included in caraway seeds was an awful exception. The recipe called for 3-tablespoons (3 Tbsp.) of caraway seeds and seemed a bit much; however, as a recruiter of spices and not a dead-head, I went with the directions. Big, big, big mistake…never use 3-tablespoons of anything unless you use it frequently, and know how it will react with other ingredients. Sausage and Caraway seeds can fight a never-ending battle in the digestive system.



Scandinavian Ug-Free Sausage:

3-Tbsp olive oil

1-Eckrich Mesquite Smoked Sausage, cut in half-rounds

1-head of cabbage, quartered

3-tbsp butter/margarine

2-carrots, diced or julienne

1-small yellow onion, diced

2/3 c water

1-tsp garlic

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp caraway seeds (remember smell first and use appropriately)

1/3 c. Worcestershire



Heat stainless or non-stick skillet over medium-high until thoroughly warmed through, add olive oil and butter, diced onion and carrots, cook until tender and transparent; reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching. Add sausage and cabbage, add water and cover for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the amount of tenderness you wish for your cabbage. Add Worcestershire, garlic, nutmeg, and caraway seeds; continue cooking on medium heat until ingredients have been absorbed, approx. 5 minutes.



Note: We prefer our cabbage very tender and cook it 25 minutes covered.



If small children and cats run away screeching and crying, you’ve added too much caraway. Many spices—Chili powder, Cayenne, Garam Masala, Paprika, and Cumin—have very strong flavors and can, as with cumin, numb the tongue. Novices Beware: even the bland and less-odoriferous spices can be dangerous; Nutmeg, Onion powder, etc.



A good cook can throw together a meal in 30 minutes; a great cook can create a feast using simple ingredients and love.