White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage, Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini

 Zoup for You!

I'm a soup person.  It's healthy comfort food at its absolute best and quite simple to make.  In addition, soup has endless flavor combinations, so it works well for those of us who tire of the same thing over and over.  

My family (and an outside taste-tester) loved this soup.  I cooked the beans a day ahead and had them ready in my fridge, so it was easy to throw together for dinner. 

My kidlings do not prefer chunks of cooked tomato.  So, to please their picky palates I pureed the roasted tomatoes.  Feel free to chop them if you prefer.

We've hit a cold snap here in sunny Florida - a FRIGID 73F.  And so...it's time to make soup. 

White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage, Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini 

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 pound Italian chicken sausage, casing removed (I buy Greenwise from Publix)

1 recipe Roasted Tomatoes, pureed

4 cups soaked and cooked white navy beans

8 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade

2 medium to large zucchini, diced

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil

Pecorino Romano (optional) 

Instructions:

Heat a stockpot to medium high.  Once hot, add olive oil and then carrots, celery and onion.  Saute until starting to get soft.  Next, add sausage, breaking it apart with wooden spoon.  Cook, stirring until sausage is cooked through.  

Remove pot from heat source and add minced garlic.  Stir for a few seconds.  Return to heat and then add pureed roasted tomatoes, navy beans and chicken broth.  Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Just before ready to serve, add zucchini and cook about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with ribbons of fresh basil and a spoonful of Pecorino and enjoy!  

(This soup is great leftover and can be frozen easily.)