Plump summer tomatoes and fresh basil give refreshing flavors to a quick minestrone soup. Add turkey sausage and the crunchy texture of pecans to make a light summer meal. This one-dish dinner can be made in 20 minutes.
Acini pepe is a very small soup pasta. Any type of leftover pasta broken into small pieces or orzo (rice-shaped pasta) can be used. Look for trimmed green beans in the produce section of the market to cut down on preparation time.
Although this is a cooked soup, it can be served at room temperature and is full of the fresh flavors of summer vegetables.
Fred Tasker's wine suggestion: Some people say soup, being a liquid, doesn't need wine. I am not one of those people. Try a lightweight Italian red dolcetto.
Helpful Hints:
_ Buy good quality Parmesan cheese for best flavor.
Countdown:
_ Prepare ingredients.
_ Make soup.
_ While soup simmers, boil pasta.
Shopping List:
Here are the ingredients you'll need for tonight's Quick Fix Dinner:
To buy: { pound low-fat turkey sausage, 1 small container trimmed green beans, 2 medium tomatoes, container fat-free, no-salt-added chicken broth, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat spinach, 1 bunch fresh basil, 1 package acini pepe pasta, 1 piece Parmesan cheese and 1 small container pecans.
Staples: olive oil, onion, salt and black peppercorns.
