Nothing is better on bitter cold winter evening than a bowl of warm Italian Sausage and Orzo Soup, while sitting by the fire.

As much as I don’t like the cold, I love chilly evenings.  Is that weird?  I guess the romantic in me loves nothing more than a roaring fire and being all cozy with Handsome.  Especially now that the Christmas tree is up, I love all the twinkling white lights and how the Christmas lights reflect off the walls.

This Italian Sausage and Orzo soup is the perfect soup for Handsome and I, he loves the heartiness that comes from the sausage and cannellini beans and I love the pasta, kale and fennel.

Have you ever had fennel?  It’s a wonderful under used vegetable, everything from the beautiful wispy top, right down to the wonderfully flavorful bulb can be used.

  I love slicing the bulb very thinly and adding it to salads and slaws, it gives a bright anise flavor.  Some say it has a licorice flavor, but don’t let that scare you off from trying this deliciously crunchy vegetable!

Back to this wonderful soup…

I served this soup with this bread.  It is an excellent combination!

 Don’t you just love dipping warm crusty bread in soups?

YUM! YUM! YUM!

Warm Bread tastes great anytime!

Italian Sausage and Orzo Soup

Ingredients

2 1/2 Quarts Chicken Stock

1 LB Italian Sausage, casings removed

2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

1 Medium Onion, finely chopped

2 Celery Stalks, finely chopped

1/2 Small Fennel Bulb, finely chopped

4 oz Orzo Pasta

1 16 oz Can Cannellini Beans

1 16 oz Can Stewed Tomatoes

3 Kale Leaves, cut in to small bite size pieces

I Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 Tbsp Black Pepper

1/2 Tbsp Salt

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions

1. Brown Italian Sausage in a large soup pot. Once cooked through and browned, remove from pan placing sausage in a bowl.
2. To soup pot add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, fennel.  Cook until vegetables are translucent.  About 8 minutes.
3. Add Italian Seasoning, Black Pepper and salt to vegetables.
4. Add orzo pasta to vegetables and cook for 8 minutes.
5. Add Chicken Stock to vegetable and pasta mixture, stir to combine.
6. Add Italian Sausage back in to the pot.
7. Add in the Stewed Tomatoes, Canellini Beans, and Kale to the soup.
8. Simmer on medium for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

*if you cant find cannellini beans, white beans are fine.

Enjoy!

Italian Sausage and Orzo Soup Recipe adapted from this recipe.