Italian Sausage and Rotini Noodle Soup

This is a fantastic recipe for using up garden tomatoes. I had several large ones that were getting overly ripe and I quickly put them to good use in this hearty soup. One of my signature dishes and a fall family favorite. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. spicy Italian bulk sausage XV olive oil 1 quart hot water 1 tsp. beef base 5 large garden tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced 5 large cloves garlic, minced 1 medium onion, chopped 1 large red garden bell pepper, diced 5 small baby red potatoes, scrubbed and diced 4 oz. tri-color Rotini noodles 1/4 cup flat Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped 1 tbs. minced fresh oregano 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped Cayenne pepper to taste, if necessary Salt to taste 1 tsp. coarse-ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. white sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Heat one quart of water in a 4-6 quart soup pot until simmering. Add the beef base. Keep partially covered.

Fry the bulk Italian sausage in a cast-iron skillet until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and add the sausage to the soup pot. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion to the skillet with a bit of olive oil, and saute on medium-low heat until the onions are soft. Add them to the pot.

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for thirty seconds, remove and rinse under cold water and pull off the skins. Core and dice. Add them to the pot.

Add the sugar, black pepper, basil, oregano and flat-leaf parsley. Stir and simmer for 1/2 hour. Taste for seasoning and add salt and cayenne pepper if needed. (Some Italian sausage is very hot, so adjust accordingly.)

Add the chopped bell pepper, diced baby red potatoes and the Rotini noodles. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes over low heat until the noodles are cooked al dente and the potatoes are tender.

Serve with crusty sliced Italian bread and shredded hard Parmesan cheese on top.

Serves 4