Braised Italian Sausage Stew

Homemade Braised Italian Sausage Stew

One of our staples during all these rainy, cold spring days is a homemade braised italian sausage stew. My husband and I love this soup and I usually make enough to bring some over for my parents to enjoy as well. This was the first recipe I ever made using some white wine - very exciting! 

Ingredients:

• 1 package sausage
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into slices
• 3 cups Swiss chard, stems removed, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup barley, uncooked
• 1 can (28oz) plum tomatoes, in sauce (I used crushed tomatoes)
• 14.5oz stock (chicken or vegetable works well!)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat the Olive Oil over low/medium heat in a dutch oven. 
2. Add onion, cook 3 minutes, until slightly soft. 
3. Add sausage to pan, cook 12 to 14 minutes or until sausage is browned and almost cooked through.
4. Stir in carrots and swiss chard. Add the barley, tomatoes, stock, wine, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and continue to simmer for up to 1 hour or until the barley is cooked.
6. Serve with crusty Italian bread.
7. Enjoy!