You Want to Eat Soup In the Summer

Sometimes you just want to eat soup.  Even though it's 100 degree outside.

Soup is so comforting.

Plus there's the simple pleasure that comes from cooking everything in one pot, and then eating out of one bowl, with one utensil.

Are you a soup in the summer kind of person?

If so, you'll love this super flavorful, and surprisingly light Italian sausage soup.

Don't let the sausage fool you.  Chock full of fresh summer veggies, it's everything you need for a summer soup fix, while still keeping up with your summer diet.  (It IS shorts weather after all!)

So the next time you get a soup craving and it's 100 degrees outside, turn up the air conditioning and pull out your favorite soup bowl and spoon.  You have the perfect recipe for a summer soup.

Until our next meal,

Rebecca

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

Italian Sausage Soup

• 1 Pound Spicy Italian Sausage
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3 (14 oz) Cans Beef Broth
• 1 (14.5) Diced Tomatoes, Undrained
• 1 Cup Sliced Carrots
• 1 (14.5 oz) Can Great Northern Beans, Undrained
• 2 Small Zucchini, Cubed
• 2 Cups Spinach, Chopped and Packed
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. 
2. Stir in broth, tomatoes with liquid and carrots, and season with pepper.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. 
5. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.
6. Remove from heat and add spinach.  
7. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves.
8. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.  It also freezes very well for future soup cravings!

Tip: To use fresh sausage in casing, simply take a sharp knife and slice down longwise on one side of the sausage.  Spread the casing  open, pull out the meat, and discard the casing. Add the sausage to the pan and chop it up with your spatula as you're browning.  Much better flavor and less greasy!