Sausage Meatball Soup~~~ Italian Style

I just love a nice tasty, healthy soup on a cold Winter day.  Also, it is so easy to make this one pot wonder and it will warm up your chilly bones from the inside. Trifecta!

This recipe is healthier because I use Shady Brook Farms Sweet Italian turkey sausage instead of pork. It has healthy veggies and high fiber pasta and beans in it as well. If that does not ring your bell enough than the tasty flavor will. This proves that healthy food can taste delicious.


Ingredients:

• 12 cups water*
• 1/3 cup chicken base*
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 can 15.5 oz can of cannellini beans, drained.
• 1 cup high fiber elbow pasta, I used Barilla Protein Plus
• 2 Tbsp of extra Virgin Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic from jar
• 1 pack of Shady Brook Farms Sweet Italian turkey sausage, 1.25 lbs*
• 5 oz package of organic baby spinach
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot add water and chicken base until it comes to a boil and base has dissolved.
2. Add the next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil again
3. Remove casing from sausage and cut links into small nuggets with a sharp knife. Next add the RAW sausage, dropping in pieces one at a time into boiling soup mixture. Do not stir, cover with lid and lower temp to let it simmer for 45 minutes.
4. After it has simmered for 45 minutes add the spinach and stir well. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes. It may look like a lot of spinach but it wilts down and is the perfect amount.
5. Serve in a soup bowl garnished with shredded Parmesan Cheese.

*I don't eat red meat and that is a personal choice for me. Feel free to substitute pork sausage if you prefer to, but make sure it's Sweet Italian Sausage. 

*If you don't want to use chicken base mixed with water you can use chicken broth instead. I do highly recommend using the base as I believe the flavor is superior.