Tuscan Sausage Soup

Creamy, sausage soup with spinach, onion and red pepper.

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5 from 2 votes

Filling and full of flavour. This soup is very versatile both in ingredients and method.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Carolyn Hetke

Equipment

Pressure cooker optional
Slow Cooker optional
large pot optional

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage mild, medium or hot
1 large onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
½ cup sweet red pepper diced
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
2 cups fresh spinach cleaned, destemmed and chopped
¾ cup evaporated milk or cream
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan optional
Tabasco for garnishing at serving time optional

Instructions

If using a multi-function pressure cooker or slow cooker or a Dutch oven you will be able to do this in one pot. If not you will need a large skillet.
Remove casing from sausage and brown over medium heat, crumbling evenly. About 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, sweet red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook another 5 minutes. See Note 1 for Variations.
Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper over mixture and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring. See Note 2 for Variations.
If you were sauteeing in a skillet, transfer the mixture to your pressure cooker or slow cooker.
Stove Top- Add the broth and crushed red pepper, if using, to the mixture you sauteed in your Dutch oven. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the spinach and evaporated milk and return to a simmer. Simmer another 5 minutes or so until spinach is wilted.
Pressure Cooker- Add the broth and crushed red pepper, if using, to the sauteed mixture. Set pressure to high and cook 5 minutes. Use quick release; return cooker to sautee mode; add the spinach and the milk and cook until spinach is wilted and soup is heated through. This make take 3-5 minutes further.
Slow Cooker- Add the broth and crushed red pepper, if using, to the sauteed mixture. Cook on high 4 hours or low 7-8 hours. Add the spinach and evaporated milk during the last hour of cooking.
All Methods- Serve immediately with grated parmesan for garnish and additional hot sauce if desired.
Soup stores well in the fridge for 2-3 days. It may be even better the second day once flavours have permeated even more. Soup can be frozen for months and reheated as desired.

Notes

Note 1: Alternatively you can cook sausages whole and slice/chop into pieces once cooked. You can also substitute ground chicken or turkey.

Note 2: You can substitute Italian seasoning for the oregano.

Note 3: You can substitute kale for the spinach. Ensure you use only leaves (no stems). Chop finely. It may take longer for kale to wilt during final step.

Nutrition