Chicken Sausage Italian Soup

This is a recipe makeover from the Italian Sausage Soup I posted about a year ago.  This is my go-to dinner if I am out of ideas because it it so quick and easy!  This is truly a 30-minute meal.  It's a hearty blend of Italian flavors and perfect for chilly weather.  I made it this week because of our April snowstorm here in Minnesota.  Yes, last week I was telling you about temps hitting 70 and now we are back to a winter wonderland outside, gotta love MN in the spring. :)

Anyways, I've adapted this recipe over time because I have made it so often I have some extra tips and tricks to make this soup even better than the original recipe.  I always make it with chicken sausage isntead of turkey sausage.  Also, I usually add a bit more pasta and I definitely add more chicken broth since the 2 cups it calls for never seems to be enough (espcially for leftovers).

Servings:  4

Size:  1 1/3 cups of soup + 1 Tbsp. cheese

Points Plus: 5 pts

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8 oz. hot or sweet Italian chicken sausage

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

3/4 cup uncooked small shell pasta (or whatever shape you prefer)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 cups bagged baby spinach leaves

4 Tbsp. grated fresh parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Slice the chicken sausage into coins and add to pan, cook about 5 minutes or until browned.  Add broth, tomatoes and pasta to a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Once the mixture comes to a boil add the sausage and freshly ground pepper.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.  Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Note: If you won’t be eating all of the soup at one time I would recommend putting the spinach leaves in each serving bowl and pouring the soup serving over the top to wilt the spinach.  The wilted spinach in leftover soup can become limp - this way you have freshly wilted spinach for each serving!

Adapted from Cooking Light

Tip:

With leftovers, feel free to add extra chicken broth if needed to make more of a soup consistency.  3 cups should be enough, but you might need more!

XOXO Megan