Bean Soup with Sausage 'Pennies'

I usually make this in at least twice the quantity and freeze it in large yogurt pots to provide nourishing meals for my parents - aged 90 and 95 - to heat for themselves with minimum effort.

Ingredients

• RYVITA^® Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 or 2 cans of red Kidney beans, butterbeans, cannellini beans, and flageolets
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 500g pack of passata
• 3-4 stock cubes, red, gold, or a mixture
• 1 large jar of German frankfurter-type sausages
• a handful of red lentils or a little potato powder to thicken slightly

Method

Put the drained beans and sliced onions in a large cooking pot, stir in the passata, dissolve the stock cubes in hot water and add. Pour in enough water to bring the volume up to about 3 litres or to very generously cover the contents of the pot.

Bring to a gentle boil and add red lentils or potato powder to thicken slightly, but not to make a thick soup. Drain the sausages, slice into 'pennies' and add to the pot.

Bring back to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, so that the onions are still distinct.

Serve with broken-up Cracked Black Pepper Ryvita or allow to cool slowly and freeze.