Pintos and Sausage Stew

The only thing I truly love about the winter season is the winter foods. It’s the perfect time of year for a good soup or stew. The warmth coming from a pot of something good on a stove is comforting. This Pintos and Sausage Stew is just that, comforting and so good.
Pintos and Sausage Stew a comforting stew for those cold winter days. A frugal recipe that is sure to please. frogslilypad.net

Pintos and Sausage Stew


This past week we dealt with frigid, arctic temperatures of -20 degrees for several days. I spent the early part of one of those days cooking this recipe and I am so glad I did because it is out of this world. The stew is healthy and loaded with protein – lots of protein.

Living where we do, I know there will be some recipes that I have to improvise on ingredients because they are either not carried or delivery trucks are not on schedule. This was the case with this recipe. Chard, yeah none to be found in Miles City, along with the smoked sausage and Habanera pepper. So I used turnip greens, polish sausage, and a jalapeño pepper. I can only image what this stew must taste like with the called for ingredients. I’m sure it is like my Jambalaya which calls for Andouille sausage – we’ve come to tolerate it with polish sausage.

Since I was cooking this while my husband was at home, I decided to precook my pinto beans so I would not have to wait for them to cook in the stew. I also grated the carrot for our taste, but I’m thinking the next time, I will slice it and give it a try that way. When the beans were finished cooking and ready to add them to the other ingredients, I reserved a half of a cup and mashed them so they would help thicken the stew.

After eating two bowls of the stew, my husband suggested serving this with rice. I cooked a cup of rice and tried them together. It was very good, the rice helped carry the flavors of the sausage and the pepper a little more.

Which ever way you decide to serve the stew it will be fabulous!
Pintos and Sausage Stew a comforting stew for those cold winter days. A frugal recipe that is sure to please. frogslilypad.net


Pintos and Sausage Stew

Ingredients:
  •  1 cup of dried pinto beans or 2-3 cans of pinto beans
  •  ½ cup cooked beans reserved
  •  2 tbsp oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small carrot, shredded
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed)
  • 1 package, polish sausage, sliced
  • 5 cups of chicken broth
  • ½ cup cooked turnip greens (drained)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pinto beans until soft, don’t drain.

2. Heat the oil and sauté onions and carrots until soft. Add the garlic, jalapeño pepper continue sautéing for about 3 minutes, add the sausage and cook until it begins to brown. Pour in the beans, broth, turnip greens and salt and pepper, mix until well combined. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. For a thicker stew, mash the reserved beans and add to the pot. If the stew is thick enough, just add the beans. Before serving, taste and adjust salt if necessary. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with toasted bread, crackers, or even rice.

If you use precooked or canned beans, you won't need to cook for 30 minutes; just long enough for them to be heated through and the flavors to blend together.