Hunter's Minestrone (adapted To Be A Bit More Healthy)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 head garlic, halved
• 1/2 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• sage leaf
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3/4 lb sweet italian turkey sausage
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (28 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
• fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Recipe

• 1 combine the stock and halved garlic head in a big saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes to give the stock a nice, garlicky taste; strain out the garlic. keep warm.
• 2 bring a pot of salted water to boil for the rigatoni.
• 3 pour 1 teaspoon olive oil and add pam spray to a large saucepan. add about eight sage leaves, rosemary and thyme and warm the oil over medium heat to infuse it with the flavor of the herbs, 3 to 4 minutes. add the sausage (taken out of the casing) and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a big spoon until well browned. chop the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor. add to the saucepan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
• 4 to the pan with the sausage stir in the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, cannelloni beans, and chicken stock. bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• 5 add the parsley, and salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste. discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.
• 6 cook the rigatoni (or whatever other small pasta you like) in the boiling water for 6 minutes; it should be slightly underdone. drain.
• 7 add some rigatoni to the bottom of the bowl, pour soup over, and then top with a bit of cheese.
• 8 i keep the pasta in a separate container in the fridge, so that it doesn't absorb all of the broth.