Ok, so since it’s officially fall, I figured I wanted to do some posts on SOUP! What’s better in the fall and winter than soup? The ultimate comfort food, even when it’s low cal! And this one definitely fits both descriptions. Delicious, filling, high in protein and low in fat. So, over the next 2 weeks you will be seeing a lot of soup recipes as I figure out which I like best, which I will put in jars for freezing and lunches… and which I should leave for someone else to perfect… 😉 . So, this one was a winner. I loved it! It was inexpensive to make too. A box of orzo was only $0.89 at Publix! Woohoo! Try this one out for sure!

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz package chicken sausage halved and sliced (I used 4 out of the 6 links and froze the remaining 2) I also used “Thin&Trim” brand chicken sausage “Sweet Italian” version that is 95% fat free, and has all natural ingredients w/out nitrites!
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 TB butter
• 1/2 small onion diced
• 1/2 tsp garlic minced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1/4 teaspon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• splash white wine (only if so desired)
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1 cups fresh spinach
• juice and zest of 1/2 lemon (about 1-2 TB of lemon juice)
• 2-3 TB shaved parmesan for garnish

As you can see, I served this with Grilled cheese that had a couple of sliced of avocado in it… YUM!

Instructions

1. In stock pot heat sliced sausage until heated through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add olive oil to pan. Add onion and garlic, sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots and herbs, lemon zest and juice and 1 TB butter. Continue cooking just until carrots begin to soften. Add splash of white wine if so desired.
3. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in orzo. Continue cooking for 8 minutes or until pasta has finished cooking. Add 1 cup water. Stir in sausage and spinach, stir and bring back to simmer. Serve.

Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day: