Italian Wedding Soup

Tonight I made the simplest and most delicious soup ever.  Ever.  I'm not a big soup person, but as a child I became addicted to my mom's Italian wedding soup.  It's flavorful and rich and the perfect comfort food when it's starting to get cold outside.  I tweaked the recipe a little bit to make it celiac friendly (obviously I can't have the noodles!), but now the recipe is healthier than ever.

Italian Wedding Soup

• 2 Italian bratwurst (make sure they're not made with beer)
• 1/2 tsp. ground dried thyme
• 1 tsp.  ground cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup caramelized onions (recipe below)
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 4 big hand-fulls of fresh baby spinach (I hear you can't use frozen, but I don't believe it.)

 Remove the casings from the bratwurst, and add the sausage to a large pot.  Cook thoroughly and add thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic, caramelized onions, and beans.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes before adding the chicken stock and water.  Bring the soup up to a simmer, add the spinach, and let it just wilt before serving.  Makes 6 servings (perfect for freezing).

Caramelized Onions

• 1 tsp. oil
• 1 large yellow onion

Slice the onion into long strips (not too thin or they will dry out).  Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and turn the heat down to medium.  Cook the onions for 30 minutes, stirring only every few minutes.  This was the hardest part for me.  I am an infamous pot stirrer.  It doesn't matter if it's my pot, William's, or my next door neighbor's, I will be there to stir it.  William says that someday this will get me shot.  I'm not sure what he means by that, but I'm taking his word for it and working on this addiction.  This is the perfect recipe to teach me not to stir, because if you do stir your onions too often, you won't get any of the lovely color.  If you notice that your onions are drying out, add a tablespoon or two of water.  Cook them down until they are soft, almost sticky, and have a full, deep color.