Pasta Fagioli Soup

12 ounces Johnsonville Italian Sausage Brats, boiled, cooled, peeled of any casing, cut in quarters & lightly browned in un-greased fry pan. Or Italian flavored chicken sausage that has been pan fried. (nutritional calculations has the Johnsonville Sausage as the chosen ingredient)
4 Cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1/2 Cup uncooked mini seashell pasta
1 (15 ounce can) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (or stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, etc)
1 Can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups coarsely chopped zuchini
1/3 Cup shredded Asiago Cheese

This is a quick, easy, fast and absolutely fabulous soup. The cheese absolutely makes the soup! The sodium is very high but I could not find the no salt added chicken broth, tomatoes & beans as a choice for the ingredients. I believe that the sodium will drop with the right choice of sausage and the no salt added broth, etc.

Prepare the sausage and set aside. In a large soup pot bring the chicken broth, mini seashells and sausage to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and kidney beans and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes.

Add the basil and oregano; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add the zucchini and cover. Remove soup pot from burner and let the residual heat cook the zucchini until tender crisp, 3-5 minutes.

Serve soup with approximately 1 Tablespoon Shredded Asiago Cheese sprinkled on top of each bowl.

Serving Size: 5 - 1 1/3 Cup Servings