Marry Me Soup with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, mild or spicy
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 ounces uncooked small pasta* (I used small shells)
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, divided
- toppings: black pepper, freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1
Sauté the sausage and veggies
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage, onion, bell pepper. Sauté the mixture, using a wooden spoon to occasionally stir the mixture and break up the sausage as it cooks, until the sausage is browned. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, for 1 more minute.
- 3
Simmer
- 4
Add the chicken stock, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Drain the rest of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, then roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the soup. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, lowering the heat when needed so that the soup continues at a low simmer (not fully boiling) until the pasta is nearly al dente.
- 5
Season
- 6
Add the cream, spinach, half of the basil and stir gently until the spinach has wilted. Give the soup a taste and season with salt and pepper and/or extra cream, if desired.
- 7
Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with your preferred toppings, and enjoy!
