Italian Soup

Here is another soup for you to enjoy! Once again, it contains Italian sausage (am I sensing a theme here?), but no pasta this time. I made it last night and it was a surprisingly satisfying meal coupled with Golden Dinner Rolls (made with butter instead of shortening). The photo above is not the greatest representation, but I do the best I can with my camera and light conditions. I urge you to try this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

And if you're wondering what julienne means, here's a photo:

Kinda like thin sticks? (Or you can dice 'em).

And I'm putting 2-3 cans of beans, because I made this with 2 cans but I think it could use one more can if you are like me and like a lot of beans. If not, the 2 cans are plenty.

ITALIAN SOUP
adapted from Italian Sausage Soup on Allrecipes.com

1 lb. mild Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (Italian style)
4 cups (32 oz) beef broth
3 carrots, shredded
2-3 (14.5 oz) cans great northern beans, undrained
2 zucchini, julienned
1 (9 oz) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, brown sausage with garlic, drain any fat. Stir in tomatoes, beef broth, and carrots, and season with salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in beans (with liquid) and zucchini. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Cover and allow heat from soup to cook spinach. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes. Great garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.