Crockpot Winter Minestrone

Browned Italian sausage with white onion, potatoes, kidney beans, fennel, butternut squash, minced garlic, and spinach in a chicken broth and dry white wine base. This hearty soup is a meal in itself.

Ingredients -

1 pound Uncooked Italian Sausage Links
2 1/2 cups Butternut Squash
2 medium Potatoes, peeled
2 medium Fennel Bulbs, trimmed
1 White Onion, chopped
1 (15 ounces) can Kidney Beans, rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons prepared minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 (14 ounces) cans Chicken Broth
1 cup Dry White Wine
3 to 4 cups Fresh Spinach

Preparation:

1. Brown Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off excess fat.

2. Add butternut squash, sliced potatoes, fennel, chopped white onion, kidney beans, minced garlic and Italian seasoning to crockpot.

3. Place Italian sausage on top of vegetable mixture.

4. Pour in chicken broth and dry white wine.

5. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

6. Stir in fresh spinach, cover and cook 10 more minutes.

Variations and Recipe Ideas:

Cooking Tip

Fennel Bulbs

Fennel can be found locally in most markets, and has a taste similar to anise or star anise. The bulbs should be washed very well, and trimmed into smaller pieces for cooking.

Cooking Tip

Dry White Wine

Open a nice bottle of wine for drinking and save a cup for use in this minestrone recipe.