Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds hot or mild Italian sausages
- 3 carrots 12 oz. total, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion 12 oz., peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
- 3 quarts fat-skimmed chicken broth
- 2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans cannellini (whitbeans rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 cups dried large shell-shaped pasta
- 4 quarts spinach leaves about 12 oz, rinsed
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Squeeze sausages from casings into an 8 to 10 quart pan over high heat and stir often, breaking them apart with a spoon, until browned and crumbly, 8-10 minutes.
- Spoon out and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
- Add carrots, onion, and garlic; stir often until onion is limp, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add broth, tomatoes (including juice), beans, and basil and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is just tender to bite, about 10 minutes.
- Skim and discard fat.
- Stir in spinach and cook just until it is wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve soup from the pan, or pour into a tureen.
- Offer parmesan cheese to add to taste.
Notes
Makes: about 5 1/2 quarts; 10-12 servings Per serving: 397 cal., 41% (162 cal.) from fat; 29 g protein; 18 g fat (6.6 g sat.); 29 g carbo (5.6 g fiber); 947 mg sodium; 29 mg chol.
Sunset, January 2003, page 91