Tuscan Sausage and Orzo Soup

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As an owner of a food website, I try to post ” drool-worthy” recipes that I hope people will love.   My goal is to help families eat healthy, nourishing meals together.  Can I let you in on a little secret?  Although my kids probably get a more diverse menu than most, we can eat pretty mundane things during our day to day life.

Rotisserie Chicken

Tatertots

Scrambled Eggs

Chicken Nuggets

Yes, we eat those things.

However, I will still say that it doesn’t have to be hard to switch up mealtime.   Take, thus, Tuscan Sausage and Orzo soup, for example.  This meal is easy, only takes a few unique ingredients, and is a great way to serve something different to your family.  I served this soup topped with parmesan cheese and with some crusty bread on the side.

This soup reminds me of the Tuscan Soup they serve at Maggiano’s Little Italy, which was my favorite restaurant as a teenager growing up in Chicagoland.   It is easy to make, and the secret ingredient is fennel.

To make this Tuscan Sausage and Orzo Soup, you will need:

An Instant Pot or a Dutch Oven if you’re cooking this on your stovetop.

Italian Sausage

Chicken stock

Kale, you can also use swiss chard or spinach

Olive Oil

Celery

Fennel

Red Onion

One can of diced tomatoes

One can of Northern White beans

Italian Seasoning

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Ingredients

• 1 pound mild Italian Sausage
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped fennel
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2-3 cups chopped kale
• 1 16 ounce can Northern white beans
• 1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 8 ounce box Orzo pasta

Instructions

1. Set your Instant Pot to Saute.

2. Cook Italian Sausage all the way through. drain Italian sausage and set aside.

3. Add olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add fennel, onion, garlic, and celery. Saute until onions and fennel are translucent.

4. Add Italian seasoning and Italian sausage. Mix thoroughly.

5. Add broth, followed by beans, tomatoes, and kale.

6. Seal the lid on your Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.

7. Let NPR. Open lid.

8. Turn on the saute setting, and add orzo. Cook on saute until the orzo has cooked.

9. Serve.

This soup is so festive for cold weather.  It is super flavorful, but good for you too!  My kids love anything that contains sausage!