When the weather starts to turn and you feel that crisp bite in the air, I always want soup! And Sundays usually turn into soup Sundays… I love nothing more than being home with my boys (all 3 of them!) cooking and enjoying down time!  

This past weekend the fall tradition started with Tuscan White Bean Soup! It came together really easily and was delicious. According to my husband, one of the best soups I ever made, and I make a lot of soup 😉

  
1/2 onion, diced 

1 cup carrots, diced

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 package sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing

2 15 oz cans of cannelini beans, drained

5 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups spinach leaves

1 Parmesan cheese rind

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot and add sausage. Cook sausage for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Remove sausage from pot and put in a bowl. In the same pot, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat, add carrots and onions, cook until tender and onions become translucent. Add 1 cup chicken broth to the pan and scrape up all the yummy brown bits from cooking the sausage. Add remaining chicken broth, cannelini beans, spinach and Parmesan rind. Season with 1 tsp garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread for dipping! 

** Note – I used organic chicken sausage which does not have the same casing as regular, non-organic sausage. If you use a sausage that the casing can not be removed you can chop the sausage into bite size pieces.