Turkey Sausage Minestrone

Turkey Sausage Minestrone

1 cup Italian turkey sausage, remove from casing

2 Tbsp Tomato paste

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrot, chopped

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 can diced tomatoes

5 cups chicken stock or chicken broth, I use 5 cups water and 5 tsp chicken bullion

1 15 oz can cannellini beans

1 15 oz can red kidney beans

2 cups zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup cooked bow tie noodles

Garnish with:Pre-packaged pesto and grated parmesan cheese

Put a little olive oil in the bottom of your large soup pot. Brown sausage well. Add tomato paste (I didn’t have any tomato pastse the second time I made it so I used an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and it worked fine.) Cook the meat in the tomato paste for 5 minutes until it turns brown. Add onions, celery, garlic, carrots and oregano. Cook a few more minutes until you can really smell the garlic. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock or broth. Let simmer until all the veggies are tender. In a separate pot cook noodles according to package directions. When veggies are tender, add cooked noodles, beans, zucchini and spinach. Let cook until spinach is wilted. Serve with Parmesan cheese and pesto.

Crockpot Directions: Brown meat and saute veggies according to above directions. Transfer to crock pot and add tomatoes and broth. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Stir in beans, zucchini, noodles, and spinach. Turn temp to high and let cook for 10-15 minutes.

Get yourself a couple slices of crusty french bread to go with your delicious bowl of soup and you’ll be doing the happy dance in no time!

---Maria Hutchinson