Monday 12 May 2014

Italian Sausage Soup With Green Pepper, Chickpeas, And Pesto

I’ve never really considered making tomato soup until recently. This recipe is full of roasted garlic and tomato flavor along with the savory spiciness of the Italian sausage. This tomato soup recipe is anything but boring! For the roasting I place the garlic on top of the cut side of the tomatoes. Placing it there helps the garlic roast and allows that flavor to become better infused into the tomato. Call me crazy but it really works! I pan roasted the sausage and you can either blend it into the soup after or finely mince by hand.

Remove sausage from casings and add to a large pot. Brown sausage, breaking it up into bite-size pieces as it cooks. Drain off any grease. Return to heat and add in garlic. Cook while stirring for one minute. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, and cream cheese. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to allow the cream cheese to melt and become fully incorporated. Add tortellini and cook a few minutes, until just done. Remove from heat and add spinach leaves, allowing them to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The soup is super versatile and you could use whatever vegetables- fresh or canned- that you have on hand. I stock my pantry with Del Monte® veggies and tomatoes this time of year when fresh produce is slim pickings. The fruits and vegetables are picked and packed at their prime and most are canned almost immediately, locking in the nutrition and vitamin content. I appreciate that Del Monte offers so many no-salt and reduced sodium canned vegetables as I prefer to add my own salt especially when making something like a soup as I can control the sodium. It might sound strange but I promise you it works!

I originally had this soup at an ok-restaurant with a friend of mine. As we sat there, drinking our wine and eating our soup, we started discussing how good the soup was and how simple it seemed. We vowed we’d try to make it at home ourselves. This is what I came up with. I didn’t have amounts exactly listed as I began experimenting. I just eyeballed the whole thing the first time around. Then as I continued to make it, I revised it here and added there. It eventually came together as you see it here.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add in the Italian sausage. Brown the sausage until it is cooked through. I’m proud to share with you a Hearty Italian Kale soup made with sweet Italian sausage and Tuscan Kale. The kale is cooked down so you won’t have to worry about harsh flavors or texture. This soup makes for a great introduction into the world of kale. Stir the Italian sausage soup while you add the oregano, thyme, and rosemary to the homemade soup recipe. Allow it to boil.

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