Wonderful Wednesday #17: Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Soup

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite slow cooker soup recipes. It was given to me by the mom of some former students who, very kindly, fed me one October evening when she heard my stomach growl over her daughter's piano playing. (that's not embarrassing at all!)

This recipe is my spin on the original based on our personal tastes. I've included the things I personally leave out at the end in case you do like mushrooms and cheese. :)

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients
1 lb hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed**
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
1/2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8oz homemade tomato sauce (or 1 can)
1 can (19 oz) diced tomatoes, drained - reserve juices
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)


Directions
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 8-10 minutes or until browned, stirring to break up the meat

Transfer to slow cooker with a slotted spoon

Add onion, carrots, broth, seasoning, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, tomatoes, and zucchini to slow cooker

Cover and cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or on LOW 6-10 hours, or until vegetables are tender

Add parsley to slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 15-20 minutes

Ladle into bowls and serve immediately

Optional, top with Parmesan and more fresh parsley

Notes:
Additional Ingredients
1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced
10 ounces fresh or frozen cheese-filled tortellini

We aren't fans of mushrooms and we're dairy free in our family meals, so while these were part of the original recipe, we leave them out and add more carrots and zucchini instead.

I have been known to add short pasta to this soup, but we tend to eat it with bread and that seems to be enough for us. Give it a try both ways and see which way suits you and your family.

** If you want to have more control over how spicy this soup is, opt for mild Italian sausage and add as much or as little red pepper flake as you'd like!