Tuscany Rice and Bean Soup

Tuscany Rice and Bean Soup

1/2 - 1 lb Italian Sausage (depends on how much meat you like in your soup)

1 1/2 Qt. (6 Cups) Chicken Broth

3 1/2 cups. (15 oz can) diced Tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1 cup. uncooked rice

1 lb. beans (I used navy beans) un-drained

Brown sausage in pan over medium/high heat, till no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in broth ( you can use 6 cups of water and 6 bullion cubes in place of pre-made chicken broth) Tomatoes (I pured my tomatoes in a food processor for a few seconds so they wouldn't be so chunky), salt, pepper, and oregano; bring to a boil. Stir in rice and beans. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes, or until rice is cooked. yield: about 8 hefty servings

I found this recipe in a restaurant magazine while I was at work one day, This recipe is actually half of the restaurant version but It still makes a lot. Since there is only two of us at home and it really is soooo yummy We had some for dinner, we each packed some for lunch the next day and froze the other half. But If you do defrost and use the other half you should eat it the same night because it's not very good if you try to refrigerate and reheat a 3rd time.