Pasta e Fagioli

A friend turned me on to this recipe through a recipe blog - For the Love of Cooking. All I can say is sooooooo delicious! Great for a cold night and a loaf of crusty bread!

2 tsp. olive oil

2-3 turkey italian sausages, casing removed (I used sausage links, sliced and quartered)

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, blended

4 cups of chicken broth

2 15 oz. can of white beans, drained

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

1 cup of tubed shaped pasta

1-2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large durch oven over med. heat. Add diced onion and sautee for 3-4 min. or until softened. Add the turkey sausage and cook until done and well crumbled. (Again, I just browned my sausage pieces) Add garlic and stir constatnly for 60 seconds then add the chicken broth. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a blender and blend, then pour into dutch oven. Add drained beans and seasonings to the soup and simmer partly covered for 1-2 hours.

When you are ready to eat, turn the soup up to a slow boil then add the pasta and cook per instructions. Taste the soup and re-season if needed. Once the pasta is cooked, add the fresh spinach and parsley. Serve with a bit of freshly frated parmesan cheese on top. Yummy!