Italian Veggie Soup

 I love making this over summer because all the veggies this recipe calls for can come fresh from my garden. It's also a warming soup for those cold winter days. This soup freezes well so I will often make a huge batch to have some for a meal, leftovers for lunch and several containers to put in the freezer.

1lb of italian loose sausage (I've used any kind of sausage I get on sale, spicy is my favorite!)

1 cup of diced onions

2 cloves of garlic, minced

5 cups of beef stock (boullion works as well to save a little $$)

1/3 cup of water

4-5 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup of carrots, chopped

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 cup tomato sauce

1 medium zucchini, chopped (I cut the zuc into 4 quarters then slice thin)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (dry is fine as well)

grated parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Place the sausage in a large pot over medium high heat & saute for 10 minutes. Add the onions & garlic and saute for 5 more minutes. Next add the beef stock to the pot along with the water, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, basil, oregano & tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low & simmer for 30 minutes. Add the zucchini & parsley to taste. Simmer for more 10 minutes (or until zucchini is softened).* Serve with optional parmesan cheese on top in individual bowls.

*optional ingredient, 8 oz of tortellini added into the soup the last 10 minutes of cooking.