Anything "creamy tomato" is a huge hit around here ......creamy tomato soup, creamy tomato sauce over pasta, and this Creamy Parmesan Italian Sausage Soup! Made with Italian sausage and both Parmesan and cream cheeses, you'll see why this soup is so creamy. The flavors are so delicious and star ground fennel, along with Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes. The perfect cold weather soup with warm spices.
Creamy Parmesan Italian Sausage Soup
Serves 6
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz. gluten free elbow pasta
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot, heat a little olive oil and cook the sausage and onion together, breaking up the sausage as it cooks, until no longer pink. Drain. Add the garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the broth, tomatoes with juice, pasta, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is al dente according to package directions. Add the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Stir until cheeses are completely melted. Salt and pepper to taste.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need Italian sausage (I like using the breakfast sausage patties, but if you use sausage links, remove the casings), an onion, garlic, fennel seeds (or ground fennel if you can find it), red pepper flakes, chicken broth, petite diced tomatoes, your favorite gluten free pasta, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream.
In a large pot, heat a little bit of olive oil, then add the sausage and onion. Cook, breaking up the sausage as you stir, until no longer pink. Drain. Add the garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes; stir. Add the broth, tomatoes, pasta, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook until the pasta is al-dente according to package directions.
I could not find ground fennel at my grocery store, so I have fennel seeds that I crushed and ground in my guacamole stone. It smells so good!
Lastly, add the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste.
What you get is a bowl of delicious creamy goodness. We like to top ours with extra grated Parmesan and some parsley.
A new favorite soup here at our house! I hope you'll give it a try!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe at Closet Cooking