Minestrone Soup

Content contributed by: Jane Ong

I usually get turned off by a recipe that has a long list of ingredients that I have to go to the store to get before I can cook it.  So after my mother-in-law gave me the recipe for this minestrone soup that my husband loves so much, I have been sitting on it for a very very very long time.  All these dried herbs, canned items and Italian sausages are usually items I don't have lying around and I have to specially remember them so I can grab them when I'm grabbing the usual grocery items during my usual shopping trip. I had never even heard of  Ditalini pasta until I saw this recipe.  But I have to admit, this soup tastes much better than any I had tried in restaurants. It makes a great meal when served with toasted garlic bread. I also love that the soup freezes extremely well (without the pasta).

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1. 3/4 cup uncooked Ditalini pasta 
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil 
3. 1 (4-ounce) link Italian sausage, casing removed
4. 5 garlic cloves, minced
5. 1/2 large yellow onion, diced 
6. 1 cup diced carrot 
7. 2 celery ribs, diced
8. 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
9. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 
10. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 
11. 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
12. 1 (15-ounce) can roasted diced tomatoes, undrained 
13. 4 cups organic low fat chicken stock (I used Trader Joe's) 
14. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
15. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Direction:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. 
2. While pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add garlic, onion and next 6 ingredients; cook 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute.