Italian Sausage-Spinach Soup

Recipe: $7.50| Per Serving: $1.50 | Yield: ~5 Servings

I’d like to introduce you all to my new favorite soup: Italian Sausage-Spinach Soup. With Parmesan cheese. It’s amazing and everyone should try it. And if you’re not in the make-your-own-sort-of-sausage mood, just grab whatever (real) sausage you like and get to work.

I also realize that I might have also called last week’s Thai Coconut Soup my favorite soup. BUT in that moment it was my favorite soup. I’ve gotten very lucky with soups lately. So lucky that I want to invite people over and serve them these delicious soups so they can rant and rave about their deliciousness.

This recipe was greatly inspired by this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, and I think torts (too much?) would be a great addition. However, they’re mostly not real food approved, and they’re sometimes a little weird, and they’re also not available in Japan. Whole wheat orzo though. Do it.

I know that the recipe seems a little intense when you look at all the “sausage” seasonings, so feel free to use some store-bought (or butcher-bought) sausage and skip the “for the sausage” seasonings.

This made around 5 servings, and we’ve got two more in the freezer for next week. I CAN’T WAIT!

Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning

Japan is really not known for their sausage – in fact, the closest thing they have to sausage is basically hotdog-shaped bologna. For this reason, once I had my mind set on making this soup, I had to come up with a winning combination that tastes as good as regular sausage. Italian Sausage Seasoning was born!

You can follow the recipe as written, you can use storebought sausage, OR, you can totally whip up a batch of homemade Italian sausage seasoning and use approximately 3 teaspoons of the seasoning in place of the long list of spices written under “for the sausage.” 

Paleo: Not as written, but you can skip the Parmesan if you want to make it Paleo. 
Vegetarian: No! But if you make homemade Italian sausage seasoning, you can probably swap out the meat for white beans and have a delicious soup.

Italian Sausage-Spinach Soup

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• Author: Caitlin
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 4-5 1x

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Description

Italian Sausage-Spinach Soup: This soup uses extra seasonings to make “homemade” Italian sausage – but you can skip that step and use store-bought sausage if you prefer.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• For the sausage:
• 1/2 pound ground beef or pork
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (or smoked paprika!)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• (or use 3 teaspoons of Italian Sausage Seasoning)
• For the Soup:
• 1 medium onion, minced or shredded
• 1 medium carrot, minced or shredded
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 Tablespoons white vinegar or wine
• 2 cans tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese or rind (grated)
• Soup seasonings: 1/4 teaspoon of: salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, ground fennel, paprika, chili powder
• 2 bags frozen spinach (fresh or frozen) – 12 ounces frozen spinach

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Instructions

1. Warm a large pot over medium heat and add the ground meat. DO NOT STIR. Let it brown on one side, then flip it and let it get brown and caramelized on the other side. Break it apart with a spatula, add the sausage seasonings and cook through. Remove from pot and set aside, leaving the grease in the pot. (Alternatively, form the sausage mixture into small bite-sized meatballs and brown on both side, then cook through and remove from pot and set aside. Both ways are delicious!)
2. Add onions and carrots to the pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and stir for about 20 seconds. Add the vinegar and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and mix well.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, broth, additional seasonings, and parmesan to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Mix in the sausage and the frozen spinach. Stir well and cook until spinach is warm. Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve!
4. Serve with a hunk of crusty bread and enjoy!

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Notes

I really wanted to add some orzo pasta to bulk it up, but I couldn’t find any here. Let me know if you try it!
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• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: Italian