Italian Sausage Soup

Italian Sausage Soup

This hearty soup is easy to prepare and is equally healthy. It is one of the first few Italian dishes I learnt from an Italian Chef visiting in India. He was right about the fact that the freshest of veggies and the combination of sausages along with a good broth is always a winner in any kitchen. I started giving my children this soup ever since they started to eat non-vegetarian meals. They enjoyed the soup so much that they never complained about the veggies and the spinach they consumed in this process. I am sure your children would love this soup. Add different vegetables like string beans to this soup.

Preparation Time : 15 - 40 minutes (more if you prepare the broth on the same day)
Cooking Time      :  35 minutes
Difficulty              :  Very Easy
Serves                  :  4

Ingredients : 

450 grams Italian sausage or any Spicy sausage,

1 tablespoon of Olive oil

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 ltr of fresh Broth (see Note)

400 grams Italian-style stewed Tomatoes (see Note1)

1 cup Carrots, sliced

400 grams of Northern beans, (undrained, if you use canned. You can also substitute it with any other white beans like Lima, soaked and boiled)  

2 small Zucchini, cubed (You can use Ridged Gourd, if you don't get Zucchini) 

2 cups Spinach - packed, rinsed and torn

1/4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

Salt to taste

 

 

 

 

Method :

 1) In a stockpot heat the Olive oil over medium heat.

 

 2) Add sausages and garlic.  Fry til the sausages are well browned.

 

 3) Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots. Mix well.

 

 4) Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

 

 5) Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

 

 6) Remove from heat, and add spinach.

 

 7) Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

 

 8) Just pour the hot soup in a soup bowl and serve.

 

 

Note :

 

The broth used in Italian Sausage Soup is predominately a beef broth. But you can prepare it with mutton too. It is always better to prepare a big batch and stock it in the freezer. It can be used for cooking other non-vegeterian dishes. This is the most easiest  way to prepare a hearty fresh broth :

 

Ingredients :

• 750 grams neck of mutton, use mutton on bones, it is healthier
• 6 cups water
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 medium turnip or  100 grams of Raw papaya, peeled and chopped
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 1/4 small white cabbage

Method :

Put the meat in a large pan and cover with the cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the surface. Cover, but not too tightly, and simmer gently for 90 minutes. Shred the cabbage and dice the other vegetables and add these to the stock. Bring back to the boil and simmer for half an hour.  Your broth is ready. Strain and use in your soup.

 

The  mutton from this broth can be used in other soups or you can also remove the mutton and separate the meat from any bones, chop the meat and return to the soup.

 

Note 1 :

If you don't get Canned Italian-style Stewed Tomatoes, don't worry. Just follow this recipe and your Stewed Tomatoes are ready in minutes.

 

Ingredients :

• 6 large Tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1  stick chopped Celery
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 1/2  Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried Basil (available bottled in all food stores)
• 1 tablespoon white Sugar

Method :

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine tomatoes, celery, onion, bell pepper, basil and sugar. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Your stewed Tomatoes are ready to go into your soup.