Smoked Sausage and Tuscan Bean Soup

In the month of March I had the chance to do some recipe testing with Hillshire Farm's gorgeous smoked sausage through the Allrecipes Allstar Program (link at the bottom - check them out if you haven't heard about this program). I was jumping to try out at least a couple of these recipes.

I was salivating over about half of them - but let my sister look through and provide her input too... since you know, she has to eat whatever I end up deciding on too! :D

Kylie voted for this soup - and I am so glad she picked this one. It has a fantastic combination of ingredients and I just couldn't believe how much flavor infused into the broth from the sausage. Sauteing the sausage is key to getting that gorgeous flavor out, first into the onions, and then into the broth as the soup simmers. This meal was really delicious, and really just required some quick prep, and opening a handful of cans, and then let it do its thing! Definitely easy and quick enough for a work night meal. We had some buns leftover from a baking project and sliced those in half and baked them for 8-minutes with garlic butter and they made wonderful dippers for this tasty soup!

Smoked Sausage and Tuscan Bean Soup adapted from Hillshire Farm on AllRecipes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (12 ounce) package Hillshire Farm Rope Smoked Sausage, cut into thin rounds
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoons minced garlic (jarred)
1 tsp dried thyme
8 cups chicken broth
2 15-oz cans beans (such as great northern or pinto, drained and rinsed)
1 5-oz pkg baby spinach, rinsed
4 ounces uncooked shell pasta
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
Optional: 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot, saute the sliced sausage for about 5 minutes, frying until golden brown on both sides. Add in the onion and continue cooking for about 8 more minutes, until onion is also browned and tender. Add in the garlic. Cook for another minute. 
2. Add in all remaining ingredients (except Parmesan cheese). Turn heat to medium-high and cover with a lid. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes more. Spinach should be well wilted, and pasta should be soft but not "mushy". 
3. Taste test and adjust seasonings if desired.
4. Serve warm with a crusty roll for sopping up the broth!

DISCLAIMER: I am an Allrecipes Allstar brand ambassador (a voluntary position) and I am not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertisers are only used for experienced-based reviews on Making Miracles. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Rebekah. To learn more about the Allrecipes Allstars program visit Allrecipes Allstars.