Italian Pasta Soup

One thing I plan to start blogging about is the recipes that we make at home. I have not been organized about what we eat and I read people's blogs that do meal plans, etc. I see the benefits. However, I have not been the best judge of figuring out how far certain meals may go. I enjoy reading other people's meal plans because it gives me ideas for mine. What I have decided is to cook about three or four big meals during the week and eat leftovers and add sides to make them go further. I almost always have a big salad made and we eat that with just about everything or take it for lunch with a sandwich.

I bought some Italian sausage on sale for super cheap several weeks ago, but had no idea how to use it other than treat it like a hotdog. I googled recipes and found this recipe here. I did make some adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP. of olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsley chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, mashed and minced
• 4 red potatoes, unpeeled, coarsely chopped (You can use regular potatoes, too).
• 1 large carrot cut into 1/2 inch slices (I used more because I had smaller carrots.)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of water (Be the judge. I added about 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth to make it go further and to make sure everything was covered by liquid.)
• 1 cup uncooked rotini (I doubled this, as well).
• 16 ounces of Italian Sasauge links, cooked and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (I did not cook this before, but added the sasauge chucks and then just boiled everything longer. Whatever you like is fine!)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced (This is totally optional. It is a nice touch, but the first time I made this I didn't add this and it was just as good.)
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (To sprinkle on top...optional, too).
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian Seasoning (This recipe doesn't call for this, but I added it and I think it is a lot better. You can also add some red pepper flakes and make it a little spicy!)

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, potatoes, and carrots. Cook 1 minute. (I think I did a few minutes). Add tomatoes, water, and rotini pasta. Bring to a boil. (This is where you might want to make sure there is enough liquid to cover everything because you have to cook all those veggies and pasta well). Cook for about 5 minutes. Add sausage and zucchini. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, longer, if you didn't cook the meat, or until pasta and veggies are tender and soup is slightly thickened. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. 6 servings

I like this recipe because:

1)It is healthy. 2)It does not take long. 3)It uses things that I keep stocked in our cabinets almost always. I.E. pasta, diced tomatoes, and veggies. 4)And it makes a lot of food, so we can eat on it for awhile.

Enjoy!