Italian Sausage & Spinach Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1½ cups ditalini pasta
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. 1

   Brown the sausage

   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook until browned, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.

2. 2

   Sauté the onion and garlic

   Add the diced onion to the same pot and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.

3. 3

   Add the broth and seasonings

   Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.

4. 4

   Cook the pasta

   Add the ditalini and cook until al dente according to the package directions.

5. 5

   Make it creamy

   Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.

6. 6

   Add the spinach and sausage

   Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Return the browned sausage to the pot and stir to combine.

7. 7

   Finish with Parmesan

   Stir in 1 cup of grated Parmesan until melted and the soup is creamy.

8. 8

   Serve

   Ladle into bowls and top with additional Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley.