Tuscan Sausage Soup is hearty, delicious, and will feed an army!!
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Jump to RecipeWith my (not-so-new-anymore) job and Logan in law school, it’s a weekly battle to put together quick, tasty cheap meals that are at least vaguely healthy. Add to that the need to make sure it’s easy enough to reheat for lunches, and it’s a bit of a challenge. I’m definitely a fan of making a big batch of something, freezing half, and eating it repeatedly for the rest of the week.
Enter: Tuscan Sausage Soup. It’s got everything you want in a soup during the winter: it warms you up from the inside out, with a bit of a kick to keep things interesting. Plus there’s veggies and beans in addition to meat and noodles, so sneaking in some healthy, right? Best of all, this recipe makes enough to feed a small army. In all seriousness I don’t own a pot big enough to make this all in one batch. Instead, get partway through and then freeze half, which means another meal in the freezer for that extra hectic week you’ve got coming up!
I used spicy sausage here and thought the flavor was perfect. But if spicy isn’t your jam, just use sweet Italian sausage and nix the cayenne.
The recipe works with almost any pasta too. This time I used macaroni (mostly because that was already in my pantry), but my favorites are mini shells or rotini! Those mini bow ties are fun too.
It’s a simple recipe: brown the sausage; add the onions, carrots, garlic, and spices; then add the rest of the ingredients!
This is the type of recipe that you can adjust the broth amount to suit your soup preference. If you want a more stew-like consistency (like my husband), use less liquid and add it in only as you need it.
I love when meals are colorful! The veggies are just cooked enough, so they didn’t lose their gorgeous color.
I prefer this dish with a little kick – spicy food in cold months give that extra boost of warmth!
Tools you’ll need:
Tuscan Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs spicy Italian sausage
- 6 carrots peeled & sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 3 quarts chicken broth
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbsp basil dried
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 lb pasta whole wheat
- 8 oz spinach
Instructions
- Brown sausage on medium-high heat in a large stockpot.
- Add in garlic, onion, and carrots. Saute until carrots are tender and onion has turned translucent. Add basil and cayenne. Once stirred thoroughly, set aside half of the mixture to freeze if you’re going to.
If you’re not freezing:
- Add the cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, pasta and broth. Boil, then simmer for 7 minutes or however long the pasta takes to reach al dente.
- When the pasta is al dente, add the spinach, salt & pepper. As soon as the spinach is wilted, it’s ready to serve!
If you’re freezing:
- Add one can of cannellini beans and one can of diced tomatoes to the pot and one can of each to the freezer bag.
- Add 1.5 quarts chicken broth and 1/2 lb pasta to the pot. Boil, then bring down to simmer for around 7 minutes – whatever the pasta box suggests for al dente.
- Add the salt and pepper and half the spinach. Wilt the spinach, then serve!
- To serve the frozen portion: thaw the frozen half, then start at step 6 and complete!
Tuscan sausage soup is great with a slice of crusty bread or cornbread!
What’s your favorite soup??? Comment below!