Chicken Sausage & Vegetable Soup with Cheese Crisps

Anywhere but here (Seattle), most folks are bustin' out the grills and lemonade this time of year, but not in the Pacific Northwest, we are still craving soup and red wine...well I am anyway, well I always am, actually. 

After my 'cancer fighting soup' disaster...lowest blog view numbers ever.  (Apparently people don't make recipes that start with the word 'cancer' and I need to work on my marketing skills.)  Consider this a 'make up' recipe.   I promise you will have this recipe for a long time, because you are going to live forever, and ever, and ever...how am I doing?  Marketing 101?.

This is like a minestrone only with sausage instead of the traditional lean pork and bacon. You can clean out your pantry and a fridge making this soup. Throw in whatcha got and you will still have a great soup....but start with the sausage, it really makes the soup.

NOTE: When I make soups with pasta, I always cook the pasta separate and ladle the soup over it.   You will find the pasta so much better tasting and won't get mushy when you have leftovers the next day. 




Ingredients

1 pound Italian Chicken Sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
2 14 oz cans diced tomato,undrained (low salt if you can get it)
1 15 oz can kidney beans
48 oz of chicken broth (my fave is Organic Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Broth)

1 small loaf french bread (1-2 day old works even better)
Grated Gruyere or Parmesan

Directions

In soup pot or dutch oven, brown the sausage, remove and set aside.
If any drippings in pan, remove all but one tablespoon.  Add onion, celery and carrot to pot.
 Saute until onion is translucent.  (It's okay if the carrots are par cooked, they will finish off later).  Add  parsley, garlic and zucchini ,saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato paste and stir, simmer for about 3-4 minutes.  Add Italian seasoning,  salt and pepper. 

Add diced tomatoes, stir, bring to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Check for seasoning...do you want more Italian seasons, salt?, pepper?
Add chicken sausage back into pot.
Pour in chicken stock and simmer for about 25 minutes until carrots are tender and it taste's yummy.

Slice french bread thinly and toast under broiler.  When lightly brown, top with cheese and broil an additional few minutes or until cheese melted and bubbly.  Serve toasts on top of soup and pray for sun.

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