Aunt Pam’s Hearty Italian Vegetable and Sausage Soup “Delight”

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Here in North Carolina we have had the warmest December since 1924. So for that reason the first day in January that temperatures dropped below 50 degrees, it was time to make some soup. And on this cold day with snow flurries, I decided to make an Italian Vegetable and Sausage Soup.

My inspiration from this soup came from our Granddad’s “Delight”. Granddad, Harold Mayberry, was my husband’s grandfather. He was one of the sweetest and loving man you have ever met. Especially to his wife, Frances Mayberry, who he called “Doll”. Grandad did all the cooking in the house as he retired at an early age. Grandad used to make a soup for the family and he called it “Delight”. It was a simple soup with hamburger, canned vegetables and simple spices but you would have thought it was liquid gold. Everyone in the family absolutely loved it and Grandad so enjoyed making it for the family. I always loved getting that phone call from Nanny saying Grandad was making his “Delight” so please join them for dinner. Oh how I miss the both of them so much.

Grandad’s delight inspired me to make this Italian Vegetable Soup. It is loaded with sweet Italian sausage, fresh vegetables and herbs. Also for anyone tackling a new way of eating this year, the soup happens to fall under the “approved” category for both Whole30 and Keto eating plans.

This recipe makes a large pot of soup. I like to cook this recipe in bulk so that I can freeze the leftovers. The leftover soup will stay good in the freezer for up to six months. I used my favorite vegetables when making this soup but feel free to use whatever veggies you have in your fridge. If you are not a fan of kale you can also use spinach. Also is you are not a fan of sausage you can use ground beef or leave out the meat entirely. This base allows you to substitute in so many ways.

I hope you enjoy this Hearty Italian Vegetable and Sausage Soup as much as my family loves it.

Aunt Pam’s Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup

Recipe by Cooking with Aunt PamCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Stir up some Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup to warm up anyone’s week! This hearty vegetable beef soup features a ton of fresh veggies and is the perfect dish for those cold winter nights. Make sure you serve this Italian soup with some crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 2 16 ounce package of sweet Italian sausage cut into 1/4″ thick slices

• 2 medium zucchini cut in to 1/4″ thick slices

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 large carrots cut in to 1/4″ thick slices 

•  2 large shallots finely diced

• 1 green pepper finely diced

• 6 garlic cloves chopped fine

• 2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

• 2 32 ounces chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme

• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano

• 2 cups fresh kale

• 2 cups of fresh green beans

• 1 cup of sugar snap peas

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms

• 2 teaspoons of pepper

Directions

• In a heavy bottom pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the sliced sausages and brown the outside, about 5 minutes, turning every minute or so. Remove sausages and set aside on a plate. Drain, leaving a small amount of drippings in pan.
  
• In the remaining oil, add in the shallots, green pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Cook over medium heat, scraping up any brown bits from the sausage on the bottom of the pot, and stirring occasionally. Cook until the shallots turn translucent, about 10 minutes.
  
• When the onions have turned translucent, and the peppers have cooked through, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add in the cans of diced tomatoes, chicken stock, sliced sausages, mushrooms, green beans, snap peas, carrots, zucchini, 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme and 2 tablespoons fresh oregano. Cook over low heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
  
• After the soup has cooked for 30 minutes, add in 2 cups of fresh kales, stir to combine.
  
• Take the soup off heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. After the soup has rested for 5 minutes serve it topped with fresh Parmesan and warm crusty bread.
• This hearty soup will keep in an air tight container for 1 week in the fridge and can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Recipe Video