I love that it is both hearty and healthy from the inclusion of sausage and winter greens. It really fills you up and is especially tasty after a long day building snowmen or skiing. There is no time like the present to get into cold weather cooking! —
Slow-Cooker Sausage & Spinach Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings
adapted from Bon Appetit
For the Dumplings
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup chopped green onions
For the soup:
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyem
- 1 pound andouille sausages, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 12-ounce bag baby spinach, washed and dried
For the Dumplings: Whisk the first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in milk and butter, then green onions. Let stand at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Using wet hands, shape the mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, into 18 dumplings, arranging on sheet. The dumplings can be chilled for up to one day.
For the soup: in the slow-cooker add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and sausage. Then pour in the broth, tomatoes with juice, and allspice. Turn the slow-cooker to low heat and cook for 3 hours. At the two hour mark switch the slow-cooker to high heat and add the greens to the simmering soup. Cook greens uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, drop in dumplings and simmer until they are tender and cooked through. About 1 hour. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup and dumplings into bowls.
