AMAZING Minestrone Soup

This soup is good the first night, but it is fabulous as leftovers. If there's any way to make this ahead of time, let it chill, and then re-heat it, I HIGHLY recommend you do that. It is THIS very thing that makes this a great freezer meal; just prepare the soup entirely, allow it to cool, and then freeze it in a freezer-safe container. When you're ready to eat it, just place the frozen soup in your Crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

4 c. water
2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1-2 small zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 can beef broth
1 10-oz. can bean with bacon soup
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Remove casings from sausage and crumble the meat. In a large soup pot, brown Italian sausage with onions and garlic. Carefully drain, if necessary. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and breadsticks or French bread.

Additionally, you can make this in a slow cooker. Just brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a frying pan, drain, and then transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and cook all day on low.

Try it! You're husband will love you as much as mine did after I made this and neither one of us really liked minestrone soup before. It's a keeper.