Italian Sausage Soup

This soup is awesome because:

1. It's quick and easy to make. The only thing that required chopping was the basil, which took all of 20 seconds (I made this on Friday night. Fridays are usually when I have no energy or patience left for cooking, so this was perfect).

2. There's fresh spinach in it, so you don't even feel like you have to have to make a salad to go with this. The only accompaniment you need is crusty bread. Mmm... lazy.

3. It's hearty, healthy, and tasty, without being too heavy.

My only critique of this recipe is that I think they're being a little stingy with the serving size. They say this serves 4, but I think you really get three dinner-sized bowls of soup out of the recipe. If you're really cooking for four, you should increase the amounts.

This is the last of the week's Cooking Light recipes-I hope you've enjoyed them!

Italian Sausage Soup
from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
8 ounces hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1/2 cup uncooked small shell pasta
2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil)


Nutrition Info:
CALORIES 216 (30% from fat); FAT 7.1g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.8g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 52mg; CALCIUM 153mg; CARBOHYDRATE 20g; SODIUM 1020mg; PROTEIN 17.4g; FIBER 1.6g


Download a printable recipe.
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