Healthy and Hearty to warm the soul on a cool Fall Sunday...

One of the things I enjoy most about Fall is the comfort food.  It's not always the best for the waistline so I try to find healthy options that still taste great.  This soup is just that...It is hearty, yet light and good for you.  

Sausage Minestrone 

Brown 1 lb sweet Italian Sausage in a fry pan.  Set aside.  

2-14.5 oz cans of Fire Roasted diced tomatoes

1-can tomato paste

In a medium stockpot, combine tomato paste and diced tomatoes.  Using an immersion blender, slightly blend the two so the tomatoes aren't as chunky and more of a thick sauce.  

Add 4 cups of water

1-Beef Bullion cube

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix until combined, heat over medium heat.  Add sausage to base.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  

Add 3 cups of your favorite vegetables.  If fresh, simmer until softened and if using frozen vegetables, add and simmer soup until heated throughout.  What I love about this soup is you can use what you have on hand, I used local corn that I had frozen, petite peas and carrots in mine. 

Depending on what you used for vegetables, once soup is heated back up, add 3/4 cup Ditalini pasta and simmer until pasta is al dente.  Soup will continue to thicken as pasta soaks up soup base.  

Serve with your favorite bread.  

This soup is perfect for a weeknight meal, you can make it in just over 30 minutes.  Makes great leftovers too, looking forward to enjoying for lunch tomorrow.