Instructions: Heat a heavy bottom soup pan over medium flame. Add the oil. Add sausage, onion and fennel seeds. Saute, crumbling the sausage as it cooked. When the sausage is lightly browned and the onions are soft, remove from the pan to a chopping board.

Add the carrots to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and sugar. While the carrots cook, use a chefs knife to further crumble the cooked sausage. Return it to the pan. Add the celery and cook for about 4 minutes or until the carrots are beginning to soften.

Add the contents of the gravy mix to the vegetables and stir until the powder is moist. Add the herbs; season with pepper and roasted garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and water; stir and cook for about 4 minutes until the mix is thoroughly in solution. Add the red pepper flakes and cheese. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove cover. Increase heat to a medium-low setting. Add the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done. Serve immediately or keep warm for serving within the hour.

Yield: 8 cups
Start to Finish Time:
"2:00"

NOTES : Italian sausage soup is a classic tomato and vegetable soup with sweet fennel and basil sausage and a little pasta. The broth is important. When we don't have time to make a hearty stock, I use the lowest-sodium chicken gravy mix that I can find. It adds depth and an alluring "buttery" aroma that makes us impatient, waiting for the soup. We used Hunt's ready-cut tomatoes: they were sweet and strong the first day but calm and satisfying the second day. If you prefer more balance on day one, you could take more time during the simmer, with the lid ajar. Try it and resist the urge to add more pasta.

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