Minestrone with Italian Sausage

Ingredients:
*Italian Sausage, pork, 8 oz., broken up
Onions, raw, .75 cup, chopped
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
Pepper, black, .5 tsp
Red Pepper flakes, 2 dashes
Basil, 1.5 tbsp
Oregano, ground, .5 tbsp
*Peppers, sweet, red, fresh, .33 cup, chopped
Carrots, raw, 3 carrot (7-1/2"), sliced
Zucchini, 1 cup, sliced into rounds, then cut into quarters
Green Beans (snap), 8 beans (4" long), cut into 1" pieces
Chicken Broth, 6 cup (8 fl oz)
Canned Tomatoes, diced, one 14.4 oz. can
Yellow Sweet Corn, Frozen, 2 Tbsp kernels
Spinach, fresh, 3/4 cup
*Cannelini Beans, one 15-oz. can
*Orzo, Barilla, uncooked, 1/4 cup

Brown meat in large pot. Add onions, garlic, and seasonings and saute for a minute or two. Add carrots, peppers, zucchini, and green beans and saute for another 2 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes and corn. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Add cannelini. When soup comes to a boil again, add spinach and orzo and cook for 10 minutes. Top with a little Parmesan if desired (not added into recipe).

Serves 6 (1.5 cup serving)

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CARIOLA.