tuscan sausage and vegetable soup
An Italian-flavored soup that my grandmother used to make. It's simple, easy, and packed full of vitamins with all the veggies in it. Great for diets also, but when she made it, we weren't thinking about that. Packed full of flavor. I sometimes add a whole piece of Italian Parmesan cheese and remove it at the end. You can serve this with ditalini or orzo pasta. I don't only because I prefer all the veggies and no carbs, but kids may like it with a little pasta or alphabets in it. If you do keep the pasta separate and put soup on top of it, and then serve it. Use Italian bread for dunking.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
If you're looking for a comforting bowl of soup, this Tuscan sausage and vegetable soup is for you. It's hearty and flavorful. Sweet Italian sausage, mixed with thyme, sage, and Italian seasonings, complements the rich flavor of the rustic soup, which is enhanced by the addition of zucchini, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Canellini beans add another layer of flavor. And, we liked the idea of blending a can of beans for thickness. It helps thicken the soup without losing flavor. A sprinkle of Parmesan on top adds a last pop of yumminess. We served ours with slices of crusty bread for dipping.
Ingredients
- 3 cans canellini beans, drained (15 oz each)
- 1 cup diced Vidalia onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery
- 2 1/3 cups diced zucchini (skins on)
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (1 1/2 dried if you can't get fresh)
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves (1 tsp dried if you can't get fresh)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
- - salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage; cut up in chunks
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 2 cans no-salt added diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
- - grated Parmesan cheese for each bowl of soup
How To Make tuscan sausage and vegetable soup
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Step 1I do all my chopping and dicing. Set everything aside and get ready to do it all at once. I also drain and puree 1 can of canellini beans and get that ready to add with all the cans of beans and tomatoes that are added. -
Step 2SOUP: Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. I use just enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
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Step 3Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, Italian seasonings, and a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally.
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Step 4Cover pot and leave on simmer until vegetables are tender about 5 minutes or so.
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Step 5Add cut-up Italian sausage pieces, stir through, and allow to lose pinkness.
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Step 6At this point, add broth and tomatoes with the juices mix. Add pureed beans and drained whole canellini beans. Put the lid on and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.
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Step 7Towards the end of the hour, add the 3 cups of spinach.
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