Appetizers / Soups / Salads

Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup takes several minutes to prepare.

Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup takes several minutes to cook.

Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup makes 8 servings.

The ingredients for Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup are:

1 cup raw Uncle Ben's Natural Whole Grain Brown Rice (NOT Uncle Ben's Fast & Natural Instant Brown Rice)
3 links Italian turkey sausage, sweet or hot, casings removed
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added
6 oz. baby spinach leaves, washed, dried and torn or chopped coarsely
1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil leaves (can use 1 tsp. dried, but fresh is MUCH better!)
1 tsp. fresh coarsely-ground black pepper
8 Tbsp. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Here is how you make Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup:

Prepare the brown rice according to package directions but omit the butter, use extra water and cook it for only 25 minutes on the stovetop or only 17 minutes in the microwave. Not all of the water will have been absorbed, so drain the rice.When the rice is about halfway through its cooking time, preheat a non-stick Dutch oven (sprayed with Pam cooking spray first, if you wish). Crumble the turkey sausage meat into the preheated pot, add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the turkey loses its pink color.Add the minced garlic. Continue to cook and stir for another 2 minutes.Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, stir in the partially cooked rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your desired doneness.Add the spinach, basil, and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes longer, just until the spinach starts to wilt. (You want the spinach to be wilted, not cooked.)Ladle the soup into soup bowls and top each serving with 1 Tbsp. of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.Note: A crusty roll makes a wonderful accompaniment. :)Number of Servings: 8Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user MAGGIESP.

The nutritional information for Bertucci's-style Sausage Soup is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 209.0

• Total Fat: 6.8 g
• Cholesterol: 33.6 mg
• Sodium: 717.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 23.6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
• Protein: 13.5 g