I have had the idea in my head for about 3 months now to make a chicken sausage, kale, and couscous soup. Somehow, I ended up with spinach instead of kale and Ditalini instead of couscous. But regardless of how we got here, this chicken sausage and ditalini soup is delicious with a creamy Parmesan and tomato broth!
This recipe is super simple, one-pot and packed with flavor that will leave you feeling satiated as a full meal. In coming up with this recipe, I was roughly inspired by this Creamy Parmesan Italian Sausage Soup by Closet Cooking. I made mine slightly different with the swap of chicken sausage as opposed to pork sausage, the addition of carrots and spinach for some additional color and nutrients, simmering with a Parmesan rind for additional flavor, and omitting cream cheese (because we aren’t big cream cheese people here).
Chicken sausage and ditalini soup is perfect comfort food for when you are feeling a little under the weather or on these still chilly days! The flavorful base has onions, garlic, fennel seed, and Italian seasoning, and the red pepper flakes give it just enough kick to really warm you up on a cold day. And while it tastes creamy and flavorful, I would argue that the ingredients make it a pretty healthy, balanced meal! Color and nutrients from the tomatoes, carrots, and spinach and healthy, lean protein in the chicken sausage.
Ingredients
This is the chicken sausage I purchase and really like. I find it at Harris Teeter and it comes pre-cooked and without casings. If your chicken sausage of choice comes with casings on it, I would recommend using a sharp knife to remove them before chopping the chicken sausage to add for cooking. Also, if you choose a chicken sausage that is not already pre-cooked (honestly probably the ideal choice, however, I find it hard to find an un-cooked chicken sausage in the grocery store), I would recommend cooking it at the same time as the onion and carrots, breaking and crumbling the sausage apart as it cooks.
I chose Ditalini pasta for this soup, but you can choose whatever small pasta you like! Israeli couscous I think would also be a really good choice for this soup.
I add a Parmesan rind to the tomatoes and broth and let it simmer in the soup for a bit before adding the pasta. This is a completely optional step if you don’t have a Parmesan rind, but if you buy Parmesan wedges at the store, when you finish the wedge and get down to the rind, make sure you aren’t throwing it out! I always put mine in a baggie in the freezer so that I can use it in different soups. It adds such a yummy depth of flavor to soups; so just a little tip so you can get your money’s worth from that Parmesan wedge!
P.S. If you like this recipe, you may like my roasted vegetable soup!
Chicken Sausage and Ditalini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup carrot chopped
- 12 oz chicken sausage fully cooked and casings removed (see notes) and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- 8 oz ditalini pasta
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (optional)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large, heavy bottom pot (I use an enameled cast iron pot), heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
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Add your cooked and chopped chicken sausage, letting brown slightly for an additional 3-4 minutes.
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Add the garlic, fennel, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, mix, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
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Add the broth, Parmesan rind (if using), and tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on top for about 10 minutes.
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Remove lid and remove Parmesan rind. Add pasta, cooking for about 6-7 minutes.
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Mix in spinach and heavy cream. Let cook for an additional 2-3 minutes and then turn off heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
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Serve with grated Parmesan on top if desired!
Recipe Notes
I used a fully cooked and casings removed chicken sausage which I just chopped into some pieces. If you find an uncooked chicken sausage that you would rather use, I would recommend cooking it at the same time as the onion and carrots, breaking and crumbling the sausage apart as it cooks.
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[…] I use bone broth in any recipe I would normally use regular chicken broth. Some faves are my chicken pot pie, my roasted veggie soup, and my chicken sausage ditalini soup! […]