Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage Recipe
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We love a Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage. We had some serious snow in Nashville, and that called for some serious soup that you can make in either a slow cooker or a dutch oven.
As an Italian I grew up with a lot of soup and there were always two things on the table. Freshly grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino) and extra virgin olive oil. We couldn’t imagine not having a drizzle of olive oil.
When I first posted this, I wrote about Spectrum® Cayenne Pepper Olive Oil to spice up the soup, loaded with vegetables and give it a memorable kick.
That drizzle at the end made my husband swoon, but it’s also part of the recipe itself. I’m not sure that cayenne oil is available any longer, but there are a few ways to spice up soup.
How to Spice up the Soup
There is another way to bring spice to soup and that’s with bomba sauce. I’m not sure if that’s easy to find anymore, but another option is to drizzle their extra virgin olive oil at the end and spice up the soup with the bomba sauce, which is fermented Calabrian chilis.
I’ve talked about bomba sauce before, which I purchase at Trader Joe’s, as it has that just right kind of heat. If you don’t have bomba sauce or cayenne infused olive oil, you can add heat with crushed red pepper.
Olive oil can be drizzled into each bowl upon serving, adjusted for each person’s taste and accompanied with a good helping of Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
The Soup
This is the time of year that we are between summer and winter. We have the pick of the best vegetables from both seasons, including cabbage, tomatoes, and butternut squash.
You can make this soup fast or you can make this soup slow. You can make this in a slow cooker all night or all day, or on top of the stove in a dutch oven.
You can cut up every veggie yourself or you can use a selection of frozen. You can use a homemade bone broth like I did, or you can buy a nice organic boxed broth.
Add Seasonal Vegetables to Italian Soup with Sausage
You have options with vegetables. While the important ingredients of this soup include celery, onions, tomatoes, carrots and cabbage, feel free to add or subtract various vegetables you may have on hand. I’ve made this soup with broccoli and zucchini the first time and cubed butternut squash the second time.
If you happen to have some freshly picked seasonal vegetables, add them in. In the summer that would include yellow and green zucchini. In the winter, you might add in broccoli, cauliflower or butternut squash.
I like to sauté my carrots, onion, celery and cabbage for just a few minutes to drive flavor. The sausage is loose Italian sausage that is browned before adding to the soup.
Use Homemade or Organic Store Bought Broth for Italian Soup with Sausage
I always start with a good homemade bone broth and it works well with either my beef broth or chicken broth. If time is short, I use an organic store bought broth.
My Favorite Italian Sausage
Our favorite Italian sausage comes from Butcher Box, a meat subscription service. I loved it so much, I became an affiliate. We choose a custom box every month, and are so pleased knowing we are purchasing quality meat, humanely raised.
Easy Prep for Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage
Let me assure you, once you take the twenty minutes to prep this soup, you can leave it. You will have enough for a few dinners, as it freezes well.
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Spicy Italian Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 quarts broth beef broth or chicken broth See Notes
- 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to cook sausage
- 1 pound loose Italian sausage
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 2 turnips peeled
- 1 small head cabbage
- 1 can red beans
- 1 can white beans or chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon sea salt up to, taste as you go
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- handful parsley leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon bomba sauce see notes
- 1 to 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 handful parsley
- olive oil for drizzling
- Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese for Serving
Instructions
- Bone broth can be made in advance and frozen or started 24 hours in advance. Another option is to use 4 quarts store bought organic broth.
- Add broth to slow cooker. Turn cooker on to time you desire. I used the six hour time.
- Chop tomatoes, and add to broth along with the juices.
- Brown Sausage in large frying pan with oil.
- Remove sausage to a dish, and add celery, carrots, onion, cabbage to pan.
- Sauté lightly for just a few minutes to open up flavors. You are not fully cooking.
- Add sausage, and vegetables,(except for kale) to broth.
- Rinse beans with cold water. Drain. Add to broth.
- Add 2 tablespoons Spectrum Cayenne® Pepper Olive Oil
- Add in a handful of parsley, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Cook in slow cooker for 4 to six hours. I chose six hours.
- Stovetop Option: Cook on low for at least 2 hours making sure cabbage is cooked through.
- Remove ribs from kale. Chop. Add to soup about twenty minutes prior to serving., so that kale is not overcooked.
- Taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve with Spectrum® Cayenne Pepper Olive Oil and grated cheese.
Notes
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The soup is delicious and the nutrition is quite varied!
Amazing and comforting. Thank you