Italian Sausage and Vegetables Soup

Serves 4

This Italian-inspired vegetable soup recipe came from my mother. It is quick, easy and very good. The small amount of sausage adds a lot of flavor. However, if you do not care for sausage, you might want to try the Turkey Vegetable Soup in the similar and related recipes.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 pound hot or mild Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups diagonally sliced carrots
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) cut green beans, drained (see notes below)
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) canned corn, drained (see notes below)
• 1 can (about 15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 6 cups chicken broth, preferably low-sodium
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 bay leaves
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground marjoram
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup (4 ounces) ditalini or other small pasta

Lightly coat the bottom of a large soup pot with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove excess fat from pan, leaving a light coating. Reduce heat to medium, add the onions, celery, green pepper and carrots and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Add the pasta, bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender, about 8 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Notes: I prefer to use all low-sodium or no-salt-added canned products. You can substitute 2 cups frozen green beans and corn for the canned. If preferred, whole wheat pasta works very well in this soup.