Italian Sausage Spinach Soup
Hearty Italian Sausage, Spinach and Orzo Soup is a cozy combination of flavors that that result in a phenomenal one-pot meal to please even your pickiest of eaters. My husband is half Italian, and this dish ranks at the tippy top of his soup list! Plus, it’s easy to prepare from items usually on hand (with limited chopping), freezable and delicious the next day, too.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 376kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage uncooked, casings removed if necessary
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 7 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 cups seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained (see Tip below)
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 5 cups shredded fresh baby spinach packed
- 3/4 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3 to 4 ounces
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until browned, breaking up meat with a spatula. Drain and discard oil.
- Stir in onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the wine; reduce heat to low and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until wine is almost evaporated. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and orzo. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is cooked.
- Stir in spinach; cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Gluten free: Use gluten-free sausage and chicken broth or stock. Use DeLallo gluten-free Pasta Corn and Rice Orzo.
Make ahead: Soup can be prepared earlier in the day, cooled, covered and refrigerated. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month. You may need to add more broth when reheating.
Tip on tomatoes: If using canned tomatoes, don’t drain and reduce chicken broth by around 1/2 cup.
Note: This recipe was originally published in my cookbook Fresh Tastes.
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1350mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2192IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 2mg