You’re Sick of the Cold Weather Already

This cold snap has been crazy!

You're trying to keep up with that New Years resolution of eating healthy, but it's tough when your body is craving heavy comfort foods like chili topped with cheese, sour cream and corn chips.

Or a rich beef stroganoff with that delectable sour cream sauce and tender cuts of beef.

Ooooooo or how about a nice creamy manhattan clam chowder ... maybe served in a bread bowl!

Now we're talking.

But you're not willing to give in to the cravings just yet.  And since even if this one snap ends soon, there will most likely be more cold on the way, you'll want a few go-to recipes that will warm you up ... and still keep you on track.

This italian sausage soup recipe is just the ticket.  And while you might be thinking, "what a sec, sausage in a healthy soup," stick with me ...

This recipe only uses a pound of spicy italian sausage, which you cook and drain before starting the soup. Plus since this recipe makes 64 ounces of soup, it's divided up among at least 6-8 servings.

Plus it's PACKED with vegetables.  And because of the killer taste from the italian sausage, you can get the veggie-haters in your house to eat almost any vegetable - even zucchini and spinach!

So the next time you want to ward off the cold with a steamy bowl of something full of flavor, go ahead and pull our your best lap-worthy soup bowls.  You have the perfect recipe for an italian sausage soup that will keep you warm AND keep you eating healthy.

Until our next meal,

Rebecca

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Spicy Italian Sausage
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 (14 oz) Cans Beef Broth
• 1 (14.5) Diced Tomatoes, Undrained
• 1 Cup Sliced Carrots
• 2 (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!