Italian Sausage Zucchini Soup, Slow Cooker Style

Some nights, you need something that is easy to make. The crock pot comes in to play here. A lot of times we will try to rework a recipe we already have for the crock pot, so we can focus on other things. Last weekend we did that with Italian Sausage Zucchini Soup. Check out the original recipe here.

Italian Sausage Zucchini Soup, Slow Cooker Style

The Recipe

• 1 Package Italian Sausage - Sliced
• 2 Onions - Diced
• 2 Zucchini - Sliced
• 1/2 to 1 1/2 Cups Merlot
• 2 15 oz Cans Whole Tomatoes
• 2 Boxes Beef Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Basil
• 2 Garlic Cloves - Diced
• Salt and Pepper
• Chopped Parsley
• Pasta - Penne, Farfalle, and Rigatoni work really well

Brown the sausage in a pan. Sauté the onion and garlic in the juices left from the sausage. Combine all the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. If time permits, add the pasta about 30 minutes in. This will help keep the pasta from over cooking. 


Happy eating.

Italian Sausage Zucchini Soup

I'm feeling a little nostalgic lately, so I decided to share a recipe we always made growing up. This soup recipe was past down from my aunt.

The Recipe:

Italian Sausage Zucchini Soup

• 1 Package Italian Sausage - Sliced
• 2 Onions - Diced
• 2 Zucchini - Sliced
• 1/2 to 1 1/2 Cups Merlot
• 2 15 oz Cans Whole Tomatoes
• 2 Boxes Beef Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Basil
• 2 Garlic Cloves - Diced
• Salt and Pepper
• Chopped Parsley
• Noodles 

Brown the Italian Sausage in a large heavy bottom stock pot. I prefer to use either sweet Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage. The mild sausage doesn't quite fill out the flavor profile of the soup. 

Remove the browned Italian sausage from the pot. There should be about a tablespoon of grease left behind from the sausage. If not, add a little bit of olive oil. 

Sauté the onions and garlic. Add the Italian sausage back in to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Add the noodles, zucchini, and parsley and simmer another 10-15 minutes. Penne or Rigatoni pasta work the best, but I usually use whatever is lying around the pantry.

Sometimes I'll add a can of Great Northern White beans as a substitute for the noodles. Other times, I'll use both the beans and noodles to make the soup a little bit more hearty. Sometimes I'll stir in a little spinach at the end too.

Happy Eating!

Sopa de Lima

Continuing with the idea of fall being soup, stew, and chili season, I wanted to share my recipe for Sopa de Lima. It is a soup full of big flavors, with plenty of spice and saltiness and some tanginess and acidity from the lime juice.

Sopa de Lima simmering on the stove

The Recipe:

• 1 Onion - Diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves - Minced 
• 3 Celery Stalks - Diced
• 3 Carrots - Peeled and Diced
• 1 Yellow Squash - Quartered and Chopped
• 1 Zucchini - Quartered and Chopped 
• 4 Chicken Thighs - Browned, Deboned, and Chopped
• 2 Quarts Chicken Broth
• 4 Tomatoes - Diced 
• Fresh Cilantro - Chopped 
• 1 Teaspoon Mexican Oregano 
• 3 Jalapeños - Seeded and Diced
• Salt and Pepper 
• Tortilla Chips
• Queso Fresco or a Mexican style cheese blend
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 limes - Juiced

Sopa de Lima - I left the chips out of it this time and used a
Mexican cheese blend instead of the queso fresco. 

In a heavy bottom pot, I prefer a porcelain enameled Dutch over for this, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook about 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add in the jalapeños, squash, and zucchini and cook another 5 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, chicken, chicken broth, bay leaves, cilantro, Mexican oregano, and lime juice. Simmer for about an hour. Serve over a bed of tortilla chips, topped with the queso fresco and cilantro.