Kokanee Quinn Is At It Again — and This Time It’s Soup!

Just when you thought Kokanee Quinn had run out of ways to make a random day feel like an event, she came barreling in from a 3-degree day with a pot of something that smells like Heaven — and no, she didn’t invent it, she found it over at Realtree’s Timber 2 Table in their Tomato and White Bean Venison Sausage Soup recipe, which was built for exactly the kind of “I’m cold, I’m hungry, and I’m not going to the store” evening we all have from time to time.

Here’s what you need:

Ingredients

• 1 pound smoked venison sausage, diced
• 1 ½ cups diced potatoes
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 (14-ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
• Sliced toasted baguette

Here’s how you make it:

You brown 1 pound of diced smoked venison sausage with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1½ cups diced potatoes, and 1 diced yellow onion in a big pot until the potatoes just start to give.

Then, you toss in 3 cloves minced garlic for another 4–5 minutes, then stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 cans (14 oz each) fire-roasted tomatoes, 2 cans (14 oz each) drained great northern beans, 32 ounces chicken broth, 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, and 2 teaspoons hot sauce.

Then, bring it to a boil, drop it to a simmer for 20–30 minutes. Once you hit that mark, you kill the heat and melt in 1 cup heavy cream and ½ cup grated Parmesan, tasting for salt before you ladle it into bowls and crown each one with a slice of fresh mozzarella that surrenders on contact, plus toasted baguette for dipping. YUM.

So, consider this your official warning that Kokanee Quinn did it again, and the only thing you will think about hunting is a second bowl!

^{Image via Realtree}