Easy Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

By Addie

Garbanzos, zucchini, Parmesan, tomatoes, sausage--this easy recipe turns to classic Italian flavorings to create a satisfying soup.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage
• 1 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 1 large baking potato, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 (14-oz.) cans beef broth
• 1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans or Chick Peas, drained
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can pasta-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup julienne-cut (2x1/8x1/8-inch) zucchini
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cook sausage in large skillet until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Drain. In 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker, combine cooked sausage and all remaining ingredients except zucchini and cheese; stir gently to mix.

2. Cover; cook on Low setting for 7 to 9 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before serving, remove and discard bay leaf from soup. Gently stir in zucchini. Cover; cook an additional 30 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

4. To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle with cheese.


Expert Tips:

Baking potatoes have low moisture and high starch content. Known as russets or Idaho potatoes, they are characterized by their long, slightly rounded shape and rough brown skin.

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REVIEWS:

This soup was great! I will make this again in the future for sure. Next time I am going to try adding a rice or noodle to the soup. The zucchini didn't add anything in my opinion and will probably leave this out next time.

This recipe I must say is simple and delicious. My thanks to Vyper's suggestion to use white beans as a substitute for garbanzo beans. I added a half pound more pork sausage and used the white beans, adding fresh ground pepper and sea salt. A little more sausage gave the soup more substance and I think also enhanced the flavor. It turned out wonderful! With a loaf of focaccia and a side of spring salad, this meal was both light and filling. Fantastic!

This is quite good, although next time I will use sausage in the casing and sliced to maintain more uniformity in the sausage piece sizes. I used great white northern beans because I don't care for garbanzo beans.