Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

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Ingredients:

• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 small zucchinis, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups chicken broth (40 oz)
• 1 can (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes in tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried basil, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• To serve: 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Use bulk sausage or remove the casings from the sausage and discard. Brown the sausage in a heavy Dutch oven or large saucepan, mashing it with the back of a spoon until the meat is no longer pink and has rendered most of its fat.

Spoon out most of the fat from the cooked sausage and discard. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned. Add carrots, zucchini, pepper, wine, chicken broth, tomatoes, basil, and oregano and bring to a boil. When the soup in boiling, add the orzo and cook for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in heavy soup bowls. If desired, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over each serving.

To prepare in advance: Like most hearty soups, this tastes best if it is cooled, refrigerated overnight, then reheated to serve. It may also be frozen.

Makes 6-8 servings