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Zesty Italian Soup + Weekly Menu

I grew up at ice rinks. I anxiously purchase tickets to outdoor beer fests. In January. In Michigan. The cold doesn’t scare me. And yet, I seem to become more and more sensitive to those low temperatures. If my crow’s feet weren’t a sign of aging, my intolerance of cold certainly would be.

I was sitting in a somewhat climate-controlled room yesterday at the rink for a meeting. I asked my friend if I could use his jacket to drape over my legs. SO COLD. And yet, no one around me was cold, it seemed. Some of them had even removed their jackets. What’s the deal?

As I was sitting here editing images, I was looking out the window at the gloom. It is so very grey this time of year and it’s a bit exhausting. If the sun comes out, it happens to be when I’m at work, in my office without a window, of course. I’ll walk out of my office, catch a glimpse of sunlight, and immediately to just jet out of the office.

January and February are long and after the unpredicted temperate November and December we’ve had, it is sure to seem all the longer. At this rate, it’ll be snowing Memorial Day weekend. PLEASE prove me wrong, mother earth.

The holidays behind us, the gym busting at the seams, PELOTON CRASHING (WTF?!)…tis the season for health and wellness. Healthy food bloggers, such as myself, love this time of year.

My mom turned me on to this recipe. She loves her Taste of Home recipes. I tweaked it a bit to include spinach and omitted the crock pot, because…unnecessary. Stove top is much quicker!


Zesty Italian Soup
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10 servings (2 cups each)
 
Ingredients
  • 20 oz sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
  • 3 (14.5 oz) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried minced garlic
  • 2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
  • 5 oz fresh baby spinach
Instructions
  1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook italian sausage until no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon, about 6-8 minutes.
  2. To the pot, add broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots, jalapeno, Italian seasoning and garlic. stir well. Cook on medium-low for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook macaroni according to package directions, until al dente. Add to the pot, along with the spinach, during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Serve hot.
Notes
Recipe directions adapted from Taste of Home
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ~2 cups Calories: 231 Fat: 5.2 Carbohydrates: 29.0 Sugar: 4.2 Sodium: 954 Fiber: 7.5 Protein: 17.9 Cholesterol: 30

Weekly Menu: January 5th – 9th

Be well,

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3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Zesty Italian Soup + Weekly Menu
  2. Leslie Peterson
    January 19, 2020 / 11:47 am

    2 cups cooked pasta – is that 2 cups dry and then cooked?

    • Nicole Morrissey
      Author
      January 21, 2020 / 2:41 pm

      2 cups elbow mac after being cooked ๐Ÿ™‚ Hope that helps!

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