Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, and Basil

Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, and Basil
(Makes 3-4 servings)

1 large onion, chopped in pieces 1/2 inch or less
1 T minced garlic
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups beef stock
1-2 cups water
1 14 oz can diced roasted tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground fennel
2 links hot turkey Italian sausage
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can navy beans (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (at least!)
Parmesan reggiano cheese (opt - but is it really?)

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot, add onions and saute about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add ground beef and turkey sausage (removed from casings) and brown, using the back of a turner to break into small pieces.

Add stock, tomatoes with juice, oregano, fennel, rinsed navy beans and about a cup of water. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour. Add water to thin if necessary as it cooks.

Right before serving, stir in fresh basil and simmer a few minutes more.

Ladle into bowls and grate a little Parmesan over the top.

For the record, I don't like black licorice. The flavor is very off-putting to me. So I've avoided fennel since it's described as having a licorice flavor. I do, however, LOVE sausage and have recently discovered that one of the ingredients in Italian sausage is fennel and I've enjoyed crunching down on a whole fennel seed when I come across one. So I was willing to give this recipe a go. I bought some fennel seeds, ground them up in my spice grinder and wow! I actually liked the smell. And the flavor was spot on! This soup is a really nice, full flavored soup. Enjoy!