Hearty Italian Ratatouille Soup

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This blend of vegetables with italian sausage will be sure to warm you up on a crisp winter night.

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Steps

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Heat olive oil in large pot , and saute onion.

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Remove casings from italian sausage and cut up into 1 inch pieces , add to pan.

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Cook sausage until brown about 10 minutes , remove from pan and drain half the fat.

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Add the zucchini , squash , eggplant , red pepper , mushrooms and salt and pepper.

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Cook until tender , about 5 minutes.

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Add the chicken broth , stewed tomatoes , and sausage to the pot , and bring to a boil.

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Reduce heat to medium / low - low to a simmer for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through.

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Stir in fresh basil in last 5 minutes.

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You can reduce the fat and calories by using a turkey based sausage , or make this a vegetarian dish by using a soy / tofu sausage or even garbanzo beans.

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Ingredients

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extra virgin olive oil, onion, mild italian sausage, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, red bell pepper, portabella mushroom, chicken broth, stewed tomatoes, salt, fresh basil