Cold season has hit the home of the Fluffy Foodie's mom and grandma. I came home recently for the Christmas Holiday and was greeted with runny noses, sniffles and two ladies who look like a Mack truck has hit them. This cold hits my family like clockwork every year around this time (Merry Christmas, Indeed- BAH! HUMBUG!).
When the cold has got you feeling like death-warmed-over you typically don't feel like eating that much, however, you do need to eat. In between the naps you'll take and the showers you climb into to try and feel somewhat human again, we need to find something to put into your system to not feel even worse. This recipe is sure to taste good, and make you feel a little better (Yes, I am a Jewish grandmother at heart!)
This recipe has a bunch of hearty veggies, delicious broth and an element of meat that you can swap out for something else (chicken, pork, etc). I like sausage in soups so that is why I chose it for this recipe. It is simple to make and tastes amazing! Let's Cook!
The Tools
Cutting Board
Bowls
Knife
Large Stock Pot
Pasta Pot
Baking Sheet
Wooden Spoon
The Ingredients
(2) 48oz Cans Chicken Broth (low sodium)
(1) 12 oz Can Chicken Broth (low sodium)
(1) Package Sweet Italian Sausage
(2) Packages Sliced Mushrooms (your favorite)
(1) Bag Sliced Carrots
(1) Yellow Squash (two if smaller)
(1) Zucchini (two if smaller)
(1) Sweet Onion
(1) Small Jar Minced Garlic
(1) Bunch Fresh Spinach (bagged will do if fresh isn't available)
(1) Small Can of Tomato Paste
(1) Bag Frozen Corn
(1) Bag of Frozen Sweet Peas
(1) Box of Favorite Pasta (not spaghetti type)
(1/2) Stick Butter
Italian Seasoning
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Let's Cook!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place sausage links on baking sheet with some separation between them. Once oven has come to temperature, place sheet in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Once finished cooking, take out and set aside to cool (While sausage is cooking, start to prepare your veggies).
Dice onion and place in bowl.
Take yellow squash and cut it in half length-wise. Then take both halves and cut into pieces (making half moon shapes). Do the same for the zucchini and place both in a bowl together. (If either are larger in size, you can cut them into quarter-pieces).
Take your fresh spinach and give it a rough chop (it will wilt down in the cooking process)
In a pot, cook pasta according to the directions on the box. (Some people like to cook the pasta in the soup, but that absorbs all your broth- cooking pasta in separate pot of water saves your broth!). Drain and set aside.
In soup pot, add butter to bottom of pot and melt over high heat. Once melted, add your mushrooms in and add a pinch of both salt & pepper. Stir occasionally to allow mushrooms to get coated in butter and to cook.
After a couple of minutes add in your carrots. Give another small pinch of salt and dirt.
Add in squash and zucchini, and stir.
Add in your spinach, corn and peas. Add a pinch of salt, and pepper. Stir together and add in your broth.
Add in your tomato paste and give a couple of shakes of Italian seasoning (to taste), and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let cook for about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Once sausage has cooled a little, cut into bite-sized pieces and add into soup as it simmers- the flavors will begin to really come together.
After a couple of minutes of everything simmering together, give a quick taste and add in any additional salt, pepper or Italian seasoning to your taste (Easy on the salt though. The sausage will add a little salt and flavor to the broth and veggies!).
Serve with your favorite bread, crackers or enjoy on its own!
Suggested Side to Serve
If you're like me, you enjoy dipping a piece of bread into soup as you eat it (or eating it out of a bread bowl!). For this soup, I bought a loaf of Sourdough (my favorite bread) and cut it into thicker pieces and toasted it in the oven. You can use whatever bread you like, but make sure it is in a non-cut loaf. Here's how I did it.
Take full loaf of bread and cut into thicker pieces of bread (a little thicker than sandwich sized bread).
Spread softened butter on both sides of bread and place on baking sheet.
Set oven to broil on high, and place baking sheet on middle rack. Keep an eye on this step as it will toast quickly. Once one side is toasted, flip bread and tastes the other side. Once fully toasted remove from oven and let cook for a couple minutes. It's such a delicious addition that is both buttery, crunchy and the sourdough complements these elements perfectly!
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