The weather has been freezing around many areas of the country lately which to me means soup weather. Nothing warms you up like a good hot and hearty bowl of soup. While those of us in the Midwest are used to cold, snow, ice, and wind chill factors, those living in the Deep South don’t normally have to think too much about snow and deep freeze temperatures. It’s not the case now in some areas such as Mississippi where my youngest daughter Kara lives. When her three young girls heard they might have snow they ran to a window to watch and wait. Their baby brother, who adores his big sisters, crawled up to watch with them even though he had no idea what he was looking for.
I love this photo. I’ll have to ask Kara how long they waited for that first exciting flake!
When it became really cold recently my oldest daughter Kristina asked for a cozy fire in the fireplace while holding her two-month-old baby Cassie and then enjoying one of her favorite soups. It’s similar to many versions of Italian Wedding Soup recipes, but we changed the title to “Wind Chill Soup.”
Cozy fire..
Baby Cassie..
And Wind Chill Soup!
- 1 pound bulk mild or hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced petite tomatoes with liquid
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 cups beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil
- 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
- ½ cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup small pasta
- 1 can (15 or 16 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top of soup
- In a large soup pot crumble sausage and sauté until lightly browned. Add onion; sauté until soft, then stir in garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, broth, red wine, oregano, and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the zucchini, parsley, and pasta; continue cooking and stirring occasionally until pasta is starting to get tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garbanzo beans and heat until very hot. Taste for salt and pepper and add to your taste. Ladle into bowls and pass the Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. Serves 6-8 depending on how hungry and cold everyone is!
- Any leftover soup may be refrigerated for several days or frozen. When reheating, you might need to add some more beef broth.
Hello Debbie!
What a delightful post! I’m guessing you won’t be offended in the least when I tell you that I emjoyed the news and photos of your grandchildren even more than the recipe. What a beautiful family! You are a blessed woman.
I have to catch up on commenting on some of your past posts. Praying you are doing well and are able to do the things that are important to you.
Thanks for taking time to share with us!
Denise, You guessed it- not offended in the least! What’s better than wonderful grandchildren?