Minestrone Soup with Sausage
- PREP 15min
- COOK 35min
- TOTAL 50min
This minestrone is pure comfort food. It’s loaded with Italian sausage, beans, and potatoes, and it comes together quickly. Plus, it just gets better as it sits, so you can enjoy it all week.
You Will Need
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces bulk Italian pork sausage, see tips (226g)
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into ¾-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, chopped into ¾-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable broth (1.4L)
1 to 2 ounce piece Parmesan Reggiano cheese rind
Directions
1Brown the sausage: Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, then add the sausage and cook until it starts to brown, breaking it into crumbles with a spoon as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl, but leave the rendered fat in the pan.
2Cook the veggies: Add the fennel, onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until they begin to soften and smell sweet, about 6 minutes. Stir in the potato, zucchini, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for about one minute.
3Build the soup: Add the tomatoes with all the juices to the vegetables, then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the beans and stock.
4Simmer: Stir in the browned sausage, then taste and season the broth with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf, then push the cheese rind into the soup so it is fully submerged in the broth. Simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
5Serve: Remove any remaining cheese rind, then taste the soup and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Sausage: Use bulk sausage, or buy sausage formed into links and remove the casings. To do it, cut a slit down the raw sausage and pull the casing away from the meat.
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Parmesan rind: Note that the Parmesan rind won’t fully melt. It softens, melts a little bit, and mostly “steeps” like a tea bag. It adds a light flavor to the broth, but you will likely need to remove it before serving. If you do not have a rind, grate some parmesan cheese and then stir it into the broth before serving (¼ cup to ⅓ cup would be lovely).
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.