pinto bean and sausage soup

Beef

Pinto Bean and Sausage Soup

This soup with pinto beans was one of my favorites at a local deli. The woman who owned and made the soups there was retiring. I asked her why, and she said, 'I'm an old lady. I'm tired of getting up early for work.' She gave me the recipe for one of my favorites. I made a few tweaks; it's delicious!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dried pinto beans
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
2 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (13 ounce) package smoked sausage
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Cover pinto beans with water in a large bowl and allow to soak, 8 hours to overnight. Drain.
Melt butter in a 6-quart stockpot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and celery in hot butter until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic into onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
Stir beef broth, tomato juice, sugar, and drained pinto beans into vegetable mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Mix potatoes, carrots, oregano, salt, and black pepper into bean soup; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.
Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
Place smoked sausage on a baking sheet.
Bake sausage in the preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes.
Cut sausage into quarters, then slice. Add sausage and parsley to soup; continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.