Pinto Bean and Sausage Soup

1½ cups dried pinto beans

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, chopped

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2 stalks celery, chopped

½ teaspoon minced garlic

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2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

2 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons white sugar

4 potatoes, diced

2 carrots, diced

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (13 ounce) package smoked sausage

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Cover pinto beans with water in a bowl and allow to soak overnight. Drain.

Melt butter in a 6-quart stock pot over medium heat.

Cook and stir onion and celery in butter until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir garlic into onion mixture until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Stir beef broth, tomato juice, sugar, and drained pinto beans into the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Mix potatoes, carrots, oregano, salt, and black pepper into the bean soup; simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.

Place smoked sausage on a baking sheet.

Bake sausage in the preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes.

Cut sausage into quarters, then slice.

Add sausage and parsley to the soup; continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.