Sausage & Veggie Soup

You know when you don't want to cook, but you don't want to eat out, and you don't want healthy food, but you don't want to eat bad, but you want comfort food, but you want to feel good after, you know? Well this is it, this is the recipe.

This is my go-to meal whenever I get home from a weekend away or a long trip or whenever I'm just too lazy to cook a whole meal lol. This easy veggie and sausage soup is like comfort food, without the bloat and guilt. You can make this with any vegetables you have in the house, but my favorites for it are carrots, celery, white onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, leeks, and kale.

What really makes the soup is the hot Italian sausage. It adds the best flavor to the soup, so you really don't need to season it too much. And I always cook my soups with a high quality bone broth, which brings out even more flavor and adds extra protein! Of course, a meal of mine wouldn't be complete without some sort of cheese, and the freshly grated Parmesan makes this soup to die for. The soup is filling alone, but you can't go wrong with a side of fresh sourdough or olive focaccia bread!

Ingredients

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage

• 1 cup white onion, chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 cup carrots, chopped

• 1/2 cup celery, chopped

• 1 leek, chopped

• 2 cups zucchini, chopped

• 2 handfuls shredded kale

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 4 cups bone broth

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

• Fresh Parmesan garnish

Directions

1. In a large pot, mash and cook the sausage until browned. Remove & set aside.

2. Add garlic, leek, onion, carrots, & celery to the pot, cook for 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the zucchini, oregano, salt & pepper, cook for another 3 minutes.

4. Add the broth & bay leaves, simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5. Add the sausage back in and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.

6. Stir in the lemon juice and fresh parsley.

7. Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese & more parsley!