HOME     ABOUT    CONTACT

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Tuscan Sausage Soup

KK and I made it safely back to Hoboken on Friday.  I won't go into detail about the painfully slow 6-hour drive which was supposed to take only 4, but you get the picture! We spent most of yesterday putting away our Christmas loot, finishing up some organizational/cleaning-related projects, and got some errands out of the way.  Back in November, my optometrist mentioned that my Vision Plan included an allowance for frames that could be converted to tinted lenses... meaning massively discounted designer sunglasses! I'd forgotten about this great deal, but luckily remembered while we were in Virginia, so I made a beeline to Eyeshapes yesterday and picked out a fun pair which will be in my possession in 7-10 days!  Now, I feel like we're ready for New Year's Eve (we're hosting a few friends), and that I just need to make sure to fend off any lingering germs I may've picked up while visiting my dad!

This is another one of the soups I made while KK and I were at my dad's house for Christmas.  Feast on the Cheap's picture looked so creamy and delicious when I saw this on Pinterest, we just had to try it! To my surprise, there actually isn't any cream in the recipe! It's chock full of vegetables and chicken broth - just what my sick dad needed. The original recipe made enough soup for 12 (so really 8 if it's being served to my dad and KK), so we halved the recipe and it made 4 hearty servings.  As the sausage cooks, break it into bite-sized pieces.  Once you start adding vegetables to the pot, it'll be harder to find and break up the sausage bits.  Next, you'll add the carrots and onions because they take the longest to cook.  After this step, the carrots will be slightly tender on the outside, but still crunchy on the inside; the onions will be golden brown.  My pasta took longer than I thought to cook, so I've increased the length of the last step to reflect the required cook time.  By adding some crushed red pepper to each serving, you'll not only spice up the soup, but you'll also help open up the sinuses of anyone eating it! Enjoy!

Tuscan Sausage Soup
Adapted from Feast on the Cheap
Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 tsp canola oil
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ quarts chicken broth
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz. medium pasta shells
½ Tbsp dried basil
6 oz. spinach leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping, optional

Directions
1. Heat canola oil over medium high heat in a large stockpot.  Remove sausage casings and cook in the stockpot until browned and crumbled. 

2. Add carrots, onion and garlic; saute until tender and starting to turn, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, pasta and basil.  Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until pasta just becomes tender, about 7 minutes.

4. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 8-10 minutes; pasta will finish cooking.  Season with salt and pepper, top with grated Parmesan, and serve warm.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...