Italian Sausage Soup

Ah… Fall, more like the beginning of winter weather here in the sierra foothills…I have this love hate relationship with it. I really love how pretty, almost unreal the trees look when the leaves change to different colors, the smell of fresh baked goods like apple pie right out of the oven, cooking and enjoying a comforting meal like a nice warm bowl of soup with my family; but I really don’t like the fact that the weather gets colder, which in the sierra foothills mean slushy rain and lots of snow.  And just yesterday, we were alerted of a tornado watch in our area of the county. That’s very usual for this part of California.

But for now, we are enjoying all those delicious Fall comfort type foods that seem to be most fitting for this time of year. Today, I’m sharing a quick and easy hearty Italian Sausage Soup recipe that you can throw together with ingredients from the pantry in a matter of minutes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces sweet mild Italian sausage
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1  cup frozen green bean
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells or macaroni
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage to pan, and cook approximately 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Return to pan.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, pasta, green beans, corn and seasoning to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer approximately 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Recipe Note: Spinach leaves could be added after soup has simmered for 10 minutes and removed from heat.