{Pinned there, Done that} Tuscan Sausage Soup

My girlfriend had a baby a few weeks ago and I was planning to go on over to say Hi (after family are now gone) so I decided to bring dinner. In making this week's menu plan, I came across Tuscan Sausage Soup (that I had pinned) and the recipe said it made a lot so I thought, "Perfect!".

This soup was AWESOME! No joke! BUT she wasn't kidding when she said to use her biggest pot. THIS is the pot I had to use (and actually, I started with a smaller pot and had to transfer it all over).

I gave my friend about half, we had soup for dinner (and we both had seconds), the girls really enjoyed it, we have some leftover, AND I froze a few cups worth for future.

The only thing I would change is to cook your noodles separate; my absorbed WAY too much liquid and were kind of squishy. I would have even prepared the noodles and brought them to my friend in a separate container for her to add in when they reheated the soup. And I definitely would not freeze it with the noodles in there.

Tuscan Sausage Soup
Serves 12

via Feast on the Cheap
... who was via A Couple in the Kitchen
470 cal/serving (Calorie Count)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. sweet Italian sausage
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 quarts chicken broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with juice
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon dried basil
half a box to a whole box whole wheat shell pasta, uncooked
8 ounces spinach leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping (if desired)
Directions:
1. Remove sausage from casings and brown over med-high heat in the bottom of your largest stockpot. Crumble the sausage as you brown it.
2. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and saute until tender and starting to turn a bit golden, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, pasta and basil. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and continue cooking until pasta becomes a bit tender, about 7 minutes.
4. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper, according to your preference.
5. Serve hot garnished with grated parmesan, if desired.

I enjoyed this immensely!