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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