Italian Sausage Soup

This soup has that simmered-all-day flavor but takes just minutes to prepare. Serve it with hot crusty bread.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  hot or sweet turkey Italian sausage
• 2  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
• 1/2  cup  uncooked small shell pasta
• 2  cups  bagged baby spinach leaves
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain; return to pan.

Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

216 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.1g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.8g)

Protein:

17.4g

Carbohydrate:

20g

Fiber:

1.6g

Cholesterol:

52mg

Iron:

3.2mg

Sodium:

1020mg

Calcium:

153mg