I developed this soup because I had this leftover chicken sausage in my freezer that I had already cooked. Really, I just browned the sausage since I brought it pre-cooked. I always have a pantry stocked with canned beans, canned tomatoes, and an assortment of pasta.

In an 8–10-quart Dutch oven, heat 3-4 T of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add your onion with a pinch of kosher salt and cook 4-5 minutes until translucent.

Now, add your sausage and brown. This will take another 5-7 minutes. Once the sausage has browned, add your garlic, and stir for one minute.

Now add your chicken broth/stock, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes (juice and all) and your spinach. Bring this to a low boil, partially cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Now, add your pasta (cover now off), kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Cook the pasta according to package directions. This is such a flavorful and hearty soup. I can eat this anytime of year!