Pat’s Tuscan Soup with Basil is totally healthy, absolutely satisfying and totally filled with the flavors of the Mediterranean from a mirepoix of carrots, celery and onions to smoky sausage and lemony basil.
Not long ago my sister called and wanted me to make her some soup. But not just any soup. She wanted something full of rich flavors, something hearty and something totally healthy.
She saw a great soup recipe on Pioneer Woman…and said, “Can you come up with a soup like this? But I need some protein in it! Something outrageously delicious. AND make it healthy!”
I said I’d try. So this one’s for you, Pat.
The Mediterranean Diet is one of the healthiest diets in the world. When you think of Mediterranean flavors you think of olive oil certainly, along with lemons and garlic.
And then there are the vegetables like tomatoes and the mirepoix of shallots, celery and carrots. Also herbs like basil and oregano.
Well, Pat’s Tuscan Soup with Basil has all of the ingredients….and more. And yes, my dear Sis, it is so delicious and healthy.
So, let’s make it.
Ingredients for Pat’s Tuscan Soup with Basil
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Smoked Chicken Andouille Sausage
- Manischewitz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- Tomato sauce
- Lemon
- Mediterranean Sea Salt
- Mrs Dash Lemon pepper
- Farfalle pasta
- Basil leaves
How to Make Pat’s Tuscan Soup with Basil
Begin by adding butter and olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat.
Then add it the mirepoix of celery, shallots and carrots. This combination is not only exceptionally healthy, but a rich flavoring for any soup.
Next comes garlic, of course. You can’t have Mediterranean wonderful dishes without garlic. The health aspects of garlic are too numerous to go through right now.
But if you want to know more, check out my book, Natural Healing Foods, and see how food and herbs can help prevent so many illnesses.
Then for a real Kicked Up flavor I thought sausage would be great.
Regular pork sausage tastes great but it has too many calories and fat, so I substituted chicken sausage.
And I have to say the best chicken sausage I’ve ever had is Chicken Andouille Sausage from Trader Joe’s. It’s low in calories and fat and the Kicked Up smoky, spicy flavor is perfect for this soup. Another huge plus is that it’s already cooked.
Just cut the sausage into bite sized pieces and add it to the vegetables to simmer for a few minutes to let all those wonderful flavors meld together.
And then add chicken broth, tomato sauce, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper and bring the soup to a boil.
But be careful about which brand of chicken broth you use. Most convenience chicken broths just are tasteless to me.
And, unless you make your own broth from scratch, which takes many hours, my suggestion is Manischewitz. It’s the only brand I’ve found that really tastes homemade.
Finally add the pasta and let this great soup cook 6-7 minutes until the al dente stage.
Then when it’s ready, just ladle it into serving bowls. Add basil and save some for garnish. 
Um….Umm…. Ummmm !
Pat, I really hope you like this. Healthy…as requested…fabulously delicious… And yep….Totally Comfort Food….
By the way, I really miss being together and cooking.
Can’t wait til we’re cooking together again.
If you like this recipe, please leave a comment below….And be sure and pin us on Pinterest!
Pat's Tuscan Soup with Basil
Ingredients
- 1 Tsp Butter
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
- 1 Large Carrot Diced
- 1 Large Celery stalk Diced
- 2 Shallots Sliced thin
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 2 Links Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage Trader Joe's preferred
- 2 Cups Chicken broth low sodium Manischewitz preferred
- 1 8 oz can Tomato sauce
- 1/2 Large Lemon Juiced
- 1/4 Tsp Mediterranean Sea Salt McCormick's
- 1/2 Tsp Lemon Pepper Mrs. Dash no salt
- 3/4 Cup Mini Farfalle pasta
- 1/2 Cup Basil leaves
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to a large pot over medium high heat.
- Add carrots, celery and onions and cook 5 minutes allowing the onions to caramelize.
- Add garlic and sausage and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, lemon juice, sea salt and lemon pepper and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, top with basil and (optional) top with some shredded Ricotta Salata or Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
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