Fast, warming soup combines grains, sausage

Play with ingredients and freeze leftovers for another quick dinner

This makes a ton of soup, and you can freeze it at will. It’s the kind of soup that sells itself.

You’ll see that two different starches are called for: rice and Israeli couscous. You could use all rice, or all couscous, or any other grain you want to play with from spelt to farro. Just look at the cooking times of the grain you want to use, and work backward to figure out when to add it.

LEEK, CHICKEN SAUSAGE AND SPLIT PEA SOUP

Serves 12 to 14 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 large leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 10 to 12 cups less-sodium chicken stock 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1½ cups split peas 1 cup long-grain rice

½ cup Israeli couscous 12 to 16 ounces cooked chicken sausage, sliced Garnish: Chopped parsley, toasted pumpkin seeds

In a very large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about 8 minutes until they are wilted. Raise the heat to high, add 10 cups of the broth and the crushed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Add the split peas, return to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Add the rice and simmer another 10 minutes, then add the couscous and sausage and simmer for another 20 minutes until the grains and the peas are tender. Add all or part of the remaining 2 cups of broth if the soup seems too thick. Serve hot, with parsley and/or pumpkin seeds on top.