Quick Black Bean And Sausage Soup With Couscous

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb ground sausage, medium spice
• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 27 ounces black beans, canned (i like margaret holmes)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups couscous

Recipe

• 1 in a hot dutch oven or deep pot, add olive oil and after it begins to shimmer, add in onion, green pepper, celery and garlic and sweat over medium heat until translucent. remove to a bowl and set aside.
• 2 add sausage and brown and break up until cooked through. remove excess fat. add vegetables back to the pot and stir in tomatoes, spices, black beans and '2' cups of the broth. reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes until bubbly.
• 3 when ready to serve, bring remaining 2 cups of the broth to boil in a saucepan then stir in couscous. cover and remove from heat. let sit 5 minutes. if you are a salt lover, add salt but i usually don't.
• 4 ladle one sixth of the couscous into the bottom of a bowl then cover with black bean soup. if desired sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream on top (we like it just as well without it).