Our friends brought us this soup to share the other day and it was so incredibly delicious that it didn’t take me long before I made it for myself. I, of course, decided to add extra veggies and spice because that’s how I do.

Lately I’ve been adding zucchini to all my saucy dishes, I grate/shred it really small so that my kids and husband can’t complain about its presence but they still get the vitamins and veggie goodness. We also love kale, especially in soup because it soaks up all the flavor and makes it extra hearty. Also, I used a very hot salsa instead of the recommended PACE salsa and that added a really nice kick to the overall soup flavor, sadly so much so that my kids refused to eat the soup, oops. More for the adults then.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 pound bulk Italian Sausage, casing removed (hot Italian sausage would work well too if you prefer spicy things)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 – 4 oz can green chilies
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2- 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1- 4 oz can tomato paste
  • 1- 16 oz jar of PACE picante sauce or chunky salsa of your choosing
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 zucchini, shredded super fine (optional- I add this for extra veggie with no taste)
  • 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, chopped to bite size (optional)
  • parmesan or mozzarella for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and onions, stir to coat and cook for a couple minutes until slightly translucent. Then add the sausage (casings removed) to pan and cook until browned, stirring to crumble.
  2. Add remaining ingredients to pan: broth, chilies, bell pepper, tomatoes, paste, salsa, basil, oregano, zucchini, kale and bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover, lower heat to a medium low heat for 10-30 minutes to fully incorporate flavors and cook veggies.
  3. Serve hot with a sprinkle of cheese on top. Enjoy!!