Zuppa di Italiano
It's still soup weather up in these parts. And, I think it extends on into June. Anyway, this is a real easy one to whip up (30 minutes or less). The flavor of the Italian sausage really dictates the overall flavor of the soup so pick a quality, well-seasoned sausage.
Remove casing, crumble and brown in large pot:
1 pound organic MILD ITALIAN SAUSAGE (pork or chicken)
Remove and reserve sausage. Add to pot and sauté for a couple of minutes:
1 tablespoon OLIVE OIL
1 large ONION chopped
2 cups ZUCCHINI peeled and chopped
3 cloves GARLIC smashed
Transfer onion, zucchini, and garlic mixture to blender and add:
2 cups organic CHICKEN BROTH (I use organic Better than Bouillon)
Puree until smooth and return to pot along with:
3 (additional) cups of organic CHICKEN BROTH
Simmer 15 minutes. Then add:
1 can or 1-1/2 cups cooked CANNELLINI BEANS (or other white bean)
Browned sausage
Simmer 10 minutes. Then right before serving add:
1/4 to 1/2 bunch CURLY KALE washed and chopped
SEA SALT, BLACK PEPPER and/or RED PEPPER FLAKES to taste
NOTES: In this and coming posts you’ll note that I often puree the vegetables in my soups. This is simply because it’s a sure-fire way to get my kids to eat them! Noses would turn up at chunks of onion and zucchini (oddly enough, asparagus is tolerated). As for the sausage, use spicy Italian if you want more heat. Again, we have toddlers, so we’ll stick with medium.
SPECIAL DIET CONSIDERATIONS: If your diet allows night shade vegetables, potatoes make a great addition to this soup. Slice one scrubbed potato in 1/8" thick disks and add to pot along with the pureed vegetables and additional broth.
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Reader Comments (4)
This looks AWESOME! Can't wait to try it!
Hi, I like your site! Jean C. sent us over here... My son has celiac disease and my husband is gluten intolerant, so we all eat gluten free. Fun to have some new recipes. I thought you'd be interested in this website if you haven't seen it already...
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/
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Hello Dana, thanks for your comment! I can always use new recipes, too, so thanks for mentioning nourishingmeals.com. I loved their Tropical Green Smoothie post. I grew up in Hawaii and you could literally pick all that gorgeous fruit in the backyard. Ahhhh.
I just wanted to say that this is one of THE BEST soups I have ever made. I got the recipe from the Cooking IT Allergy free iPad app and it is a family favorite. I love how creamy it gets from pureeing the zucchini with the chicken stock. I have also used an chicken apple sausage with the casing removed in place of the Italian sausage and it is wonderful,.
Julie, YAY! So glad you found me via the Cooking IT Allergy Free app : ) And I am so glad you loved this soup. So simple and so good. Thanks for taking the time to write. I will have to try it with the chicken apple sausage, too!
xoLexie