Italian Sausage Orzo Soup

Soup that is a little spicy with plenty of flavor and can be ready in under 30 minutes. Oh and it is made all in one pot.

I used spicy Italian sausage to up the spiciness of this soup along with the red pepper flakes. You can always use regular Italian sausage, if you do not want to add more spiciness to the soup. My husband and I did not find this soup overly spicy. To us this soup had a subtle spiciness, but we tend to like things spicier than most and can handle spicier dishes. So use you best judgement when deciding which sausage to use.

Italian Sausage Orzo Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• black pepper, to taste
• 5 ounces kale
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the diced onion and cook until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add in the sausage and cook breaking it up into small pieces, until completely cooked and browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir in the orzo, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
6. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow to cook for about 10-12, or until the orzo is almost cooked.
7. Stir in the kale and allow to cook, uncovered for 2 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat and stir in the half and half and parmesan cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted.

Enjoy!!!

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 421
Total Fat		23.6g
Saturated Fat		10.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0.4g
Monounsaturated Fat		1.7g
Trans Fat		0g
Cholesterol		68.7mg
Sodium		1463.8mg
Potassium		141.6mg
Total Carbohydrates		25.3g
Dietary Fiber		4.3g
Sugars		7.8g
Protein		25g
Vitamin A 135.8% Vitamin C 47.1%
Calcium 69.3% Iron 12.1%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from The Flavours of Kitchen.