Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian chicken sausage (see note)
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion or leeks
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cans (14.5-ounces each) diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern or Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ cups uncooked shell pasta
- 9 ounces spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat (remove the sausage from the casings, if needed) until browned, 3-4 minutes, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. If your sausage is really lean, you may need to use a teaspoon or so of oil so it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Add the carrots, onion, and garlic, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the sausage is cooked through, 5-10 minutes. At this point, if there is excess grease, drain it before proceeding.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, basil, salt and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Add the shell pasta, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta isn't sticking.
- Stir in the spinach and simmer for another minute until the spinach is wilted. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Sausage: I prefer chicken or turkey sausage because it is lean; however, you could easily sub Italian sausage of another variety like pork just be sure to drain off the excess grease before adding the broth.
Broth: also, if you are not using low-sodium chicken broth, I would suggest decreasing the 1 teaspoon salt and adding to taste so the soup isn't overly salty.