Chicken Sausage Soup



Ingredients

    Step 1: Vegetables
  • 1 lg. white onion (2 cups)
  • ½ bunch celery (2cups)
  • ½ cup lb. carrots (1.5 cups)
  • 1 head garlic
    Step 2: Building Flavor
  • 1½ lbs. Italian chicken sausage
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon dry Italian herbs
    Step 3: Texture & Finish
  • 4-32 oz. cans of broth (chicken or vegetable)
  • 2-28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
  • ½ lb. parsnips (1.5 cups)
  • ½ lb. fingerling potatoes
    Step 4: Garnish
  • ½ lb. fresh spinach
  • 8 oz. low fat (part skim) mozzarella cheese
  • 1 loaf whole grain bread
  

Nutrition

  • Amount: 12 oz.
  • Calories: 160
  • Fat (g): 5
  • Sat. Fat (g): 2
  • Carb (g): 15
  • Fiber (g): 3
  • Protein (g): 13
  • Gluten Free

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Directions

  • Dice the vegetables in step 1 into similar sizes of about 1⁄2 inch x 1⁄2 inch. Dice the garlic slightly smaller (1⁄4” x 1⁄4”). Mix and set aside.
  • In a large stock pot, add the olive oil and squeeze the sausage from it's casing, breaking the meat into pieces into the pot. Once it is cooked through, remove it and set aside. Leave any drippings in the pot, and add the diced vegetables. Stir every 2-3 minutes for about 15 minutes, until softened. Mix in the Italian herbs and sausage, and cook for 5 more minutes.
  • Add the broth and canned tomatoes. Slice the fingerling potatoes into rounds and cut the parsnips to a similar size. Add them to the soup once it is almost boiling. Simmer on low for 1 hour to soften the potatoes.
  • Garnish with 1⁄2 ounce of mozzarella (~6 cubes), a handful of torn spinach (~1 cup), & a slice of toasted bread on the side!

Cooking Tip

Freeze half of the soup in single serving containers for an easy-to-defrost meal that can last up to 6 months in the freezer!
Not a sausage person? This soup would also be excellent with 1 lb. of cooked cannellini, navy, lima, garbanzo beans, or any combination of beans.
The four steps in the ingredients column can be followed for almost any homemade soup recipe! 

Food Fact

Soup has benefits that exceed the nutrient composition of its ingredients. Overall, having soup for dinner or before dinner can help decrease your total calorie intake in a meal, since it is primarily liquid. It can also help to slow down the rate of eating due to its temperature, and it provides comforting aromas are very pleasurable to the senses on a cold day!