Soup/Minestrone

By latin1

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 #mild Italian pork sausage
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups cooked Great Northern white beans
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 red or green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 tsp finely chopped sweet marjoram
• 1 (28 oz) can tomatoes packed in tomato sauce
• 3 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup tiny soup pasta
• 4 cups coarsely shredded fresh spinach
• Salt
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation

Step 1

In a 5-6 quart heavily lidded pot, heat oil over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage and crumble meat into pot; cook sausage until lightly browned, stirring often. Mix onion,carrot, and celery; cook stirring often until onion is soft. Spoon off and discard most of the fat.
Add cooked beans, garlic, bell pepper, parsley, basil,oregano, marjoram, tomatoes (coarsely chopped), and their liquid and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook gently for 30 minutes.
Stir in wine and pasta; boil gently, uncovered, until pasta is tender (10-12 minutes). Add spinach, stirring just until it is wilted. Taste and add salt.
Serve with Parmesan Cheese.