Sausage and Bean Chowder

On a cold winter day this hearty sausage chowder is sure to warm you up. As good as it is, it will be even better on the next day after the flavors meld. I substituted turkey sausage to make it lower in fat, without sparing any flavor. Enjoy!

• 1 pkg. Shady Brook Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, 20 oz.
• 4 cups water
• 1 (40.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, undrained
• 2 (16 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 green pepper diced
• 1 large bay leaf
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. dried whole thyme
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbsp. season salt (Morton’s)

Brown sausage in a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking oil or you may cook sausage on grill. Set aside to cool. Add remaining ingredients to a large soup pot and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Dice cooked sausage and add to soup pot. Cover, simmering 2 to 3 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving. Yield: 3 quarts.

Variation: use white kidney beans (cannellini beans) instead of red kidney beans.