Italian Sausage Minestrone Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add oregano, rosemary, thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. Add minced garlic and sausage and cook, breaking up sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. Add chopped onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock, and parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped zucchini and spinach and continue simmering another 15 minutes.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni the last 15 minutes of soup simmering time. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. Drain and stir into simmering soup. Add parsley, salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. Discard bay leaves.
3. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and top with Garlic Butter Croutons and chopped parsley.