Simply Delish: Delightful Peasant Soup is fit for royalty

It's that time of year again ... we've spent too much money on Christmas and we've also gained too much weight as a result of the overindulging that began back in November.

How about a solution for both problems?

You might find one in Peasant Soup, a recipe I came across by way of my friend, Mary Ann Davis. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sample a few soups Mary Ann had prepared for a holiday luncheon. Peasant soup seemed oddly familiar to me, and really delicious. It also tasted healthy.

I later learned Mary Ann received this recipe from her brother-in-law Fred T. Davis, Jr., who lives in South Korea. I spent some time in South Korea a couple years back, which is why this soup seemed pleasantly familiar. Fred Davis married a native Korean woman named Pak Hyesuk (last name first) and she shared the recipe with Mary Ann.

This recipe has been in the Davis family now for about 30 years.

Peasant Soup may sound cheap, but it is rich in healthful flavor. The ingredients are few and they're also inexpensive, making the soup perfect for any family shopping on a budget. And rather than tapping into the fattening comfort foods we all crave this time of year, such as cheesy potato soup, give this soup a try to make up for all that holiday indulging.

The nutritious yet comforting soup contains spinach, cabbage, onion, potatoes, seasoning and water. If you would like, you can add Polish sausage at the end, or use it as a garnish. While the Kielbasa adds to the flavor and also makes it more of a meal, it does add fat to the soup so depending on how health-conscious you want to be will depend on whether or not you add that ingredient.

Mary Ann serves the Kielbasa as a garnish, but I actually added it directly to the soup. I almost think serving it as a garnish is a better way to go because then folks can add as much or as little (or none) as they desire.

As we all try to improve our health in the beginning of the new year, please submit healthful -- and remember simple and delicious -- recipes to sfowler@t-g.com.

Peasant Soup

2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced (if it is a big batch, I use more)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. of olive oil

4 cups chopped cabbage (I use 1 small head)

4 cups spinach, shredded (Mary Ann uses a box of frozen spinach, I used 4 cups of fresh spinach I had on hand)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 quarts of water (I used chicken broth)

2 lbs. sliced Polish sausage

Put potatoes, onion, oil, cabbage, spinach, salt and pepper in heavy pan or Dutch oven with water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add Polish sausage either as a garnish or to soup about 15 minutes before serving.