Hearty Potato Sausage Soup

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
  
• 8 medium potatoes; peeled and cut into about 1/4 in cubes
  
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can chicken broth (or 2 Tbsp chicken bouillon stock base)
• 2 C. water
  
• 1/2 pkg Jimmy Dean regular sausage, browned and drained
  
• salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (optional)
• 1 T. butter
  

Cook sausage in heavy stock pot, drain and set aside, discard drippings. Prep veggies. Then heat oil or butter in pot, saute onion and celery with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add carrots and and potatoes, let them get a little soft. Add milk, broth, water, pepper, sausage, and Italian seasoning; simmer until potatoes are cooked through and soup has reached desired thickness. Taste for flavor, season with additional salt if necessary. Stir in 1 T. butter at the end before serving (to give soup extra creaminess).

I made up this recipe myself yesterday because I had half a package of sausage left over from another meal. I would have also added some uncooked spinach at the end if I had it. This tastes similar to Olive Garden's "Zupa Tuscana". It was perfect for a cold dreary day. I would serve it with a crusty Italian bread, cut up and broiled with some grated cheese on top.