Note: I used leftover sausages and rice that I had from another meal. I love making soups and they’re a great way to repurpose leftovers.

I cut my sausages in half and then into half-moon slices.

I used a 10-quart Dutch oven for this recipe. You just need a large soup pan. Coat the bottom with extra virgin olive oil. Turn your burner on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, your oil will be shimmering, add your sausage. Even though the sausage is already cooked, I want to brown it. This will take about 5-8 minutes.

Now, add your carrots, celery, and onions to the sausages. This is the time to add a good pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper.

Cook for another 5 minutes. Make a small clear spot in the center of your pan and add your tomato paste.

Cook for one minute. Add your bay leaves, Italian spices and red pepper flakes and give it all a stir.

Now, add your garlic paste and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.

It’s now time for your chicken broth. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan once the broth has been added. You’ll get up all the tasty brown bits. You can now add your diced tomatoes and bring this all up to a boil.

Once the soup reaches a boil, partially cover the pan, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this cook for 20 minutes.

Take the cover off and add in your cooked rice. Let this cook at a low boil for 5 minutes.

Taste the soup for seasoning. This is your chance to see if it needs a bit more salt and pepper.