Sausage Minestrone Soup

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add sausage and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until cooked through and starts to brown, about 8–10 minutes. Drain grease from the pot. Add spices and garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, beans, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring soup to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add chopped basil to the soup. Stir, and continue simmering for an additional 15 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook ditalini according to the package directions.

To serve, remove bay leaf, spoon some cooked ditalini into the bottom of a bowl, ladle soup over the top, and garnish with more chopped basil and grated parmesan. Enjoy!