Souped up Sausage and PastaSouped-Up Sausage and Pasta
By Cathy Burford
Do you need to create a hearty meal in a big fat hurry? This is a sure hit. It’s great on a chilly night.
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 pound mild Italian sausage
12 oz chopped baby carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
2 – 49.5 oz cans of chicken broth
2 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 – 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
1 Tab basil
2 cups small shell pasta
6 oz fresh spinach leaves, sliced
Shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Squeeze sausages from casings and cook on medium-high heat, stirring until brown and crumbly (10 minutes). Remove and discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.
Add onions, carrots and garlic and continue to cook for another 7 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoes, beans, basil, bay leaf and bring to a boil.
Add pasta shells, lower heat to medium, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until pasta is tender. Discard any accumulated fat and stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Pass shredded cheese at the table.
For preparing this soup on the road, you can cook the base of the soup ahead of time, just adding the pasta and spinach to the re-heated soup right before serving.
Enjoy!