Sausage Soup

This is an interesting soup. If you like a bit of spice in your soup use hot Italian sausage or chorizo instead if the sweet Italian.

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, ground

1 cup white rice

1 cup chopped tomatoes in puree (1-10 3/4 oz can)

1/2 lb chopped frozen spinach (1-10 oz box), thawed and drained

6 cups beef broth

1/4 tsp black pepper, ground

Romano cheese, for garnish

Cook ground sausage in a soup pot and break the meat up with a fork as it cooks. Add in rice, beef broth, tomatoes and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook 12-15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach and let simmer for a few minutes. Ladle soup into soup bowls and garnish with freshly grated Romano cheese.

— Barbara Rexford