Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 5 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, cut into pieces
- 12 cups chicken stock, plus additional as needed
- 4 cups tomato juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can (16 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (16 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 1 large summer squash, diced
- 1/2 cup dried orzo
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet or a roasting pan with parchment paper. Place the sausages on the pan and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on a plate lined with paper towels. Cut into ¼ to ½ inch slices.
Heat a stockpot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Saute for 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato juice, bay leaves, chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans and cooked sausage slices. Bring to a boil reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer for 40 minutes, adding more stock or water if too much liquid evaporates. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the zucchini, summer squash, and orzo. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the basil, salt and pepper.