Sausage and Vegetable Soup

6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 ounces italian sausage (about 2 medium sausages, casings removed)
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, diced ( I pulsed the carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor together until diced)
• 3 stalks diced celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• 3-4 small red potatoes, chopped into ¼”- ½”  pieces
• Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 6-8 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 ounce cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2½ cups orecchiette pasta, cooked al dente
• 3 handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh store-bought pesto
• About 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Optional: Sour batard, sliced and toasted for serving.

Instructions

1. Add the sausage to a large heavy bottom pot, and cook over medium-low heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, but leaving the sausage in small chunks.
2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, potatoes, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Push vegetables to the side of the pot and add tomato paste to the cleared area. Cook the tomato paste, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir to combine the tomato paste with the vegetables in the pot.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken broth, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoons pepper.
5. Cook on medium-low uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
6. Discard the bay leaf. You can make this part of the soup in advance and refrigerate it or freeze it after this step.
7. When you’re ready to serve, add the beans and cooked pasta to the soup and heat through. If the soup is too thick, add some more chicken broth.
8. Add the spinach, stirring to combine, and cook until the leaves wilt.
9. Add the white wine and pesto, and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a side of sour batard toast.