Meaty Minestrone

I read another of those 'Hannah Swenson' series books about a woman who owns a bake shop and solves murders - as implausible as that sounds, they are mostly light quick easy reading and she includes recipes so win-win. This recipe for meaty minestrone ('meaty' because minestrone is usually vegetable and pasta based) turned out fantastic, I ate it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - and my friend Al also loved it and since he's Italian and a foodie I feel like he should know hahaha! The books might not be very deep, complex, or realistic - but this soup makes up for it in spades :) 

• 1 cup onions (2 small or 1 large), chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup celery (about 5 stalks), chopped into small pieces
• 3 or 4 uncooked Italian sausages (mild or spicy), cut into bite-size pieces (note: I removed the meat from the casing and pulled it into small pieces; used 2 mild and 2 spicy links)
• 1 medium-size yellow summer squash, chopped
• 1 small to medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup peeled carrot slices, chopped (I used crinkle-cut slices and chopped in bite size pieces)
• 2-inch square parmesan cheese (I used the rind, remove it before serving)
• 1 to 2 t. minced garlic
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) beef broth (I used a 32-oz. box instead)
• 1 24-oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans (6.5 oz. each) sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup dry, uncooked corkscrew pasta (I used small shells)
• salt and pepper to taste

additional ingredients depending on how full your crock pot is and if you want to stretch the soup:

• 1 cup cut green beans (I used frozen)
• 1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used great northern)
• 1 cup tomato juice (I added a cup of bloody mary mix instead)
• 1 beef bouillon cube mixed with 1 cup water (I omitted this since I had a bit extra broth above)
• grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top when serving

Spray the inside of a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (or use a crock pot liner).

Add the onions, celery, Italian sausages, squashes, carrot slices, and garlic; toss together. Pour the beef broth over the mixture, then add the spaghetti sauce. Measure one cup of water and add it to the empty spaghetti squash jar, swish around to clean out any remaining sauce, and add it to the crock. Add the mushrooms with juices, stir everything until well mixed. Add the hunk of parmesan. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Add the uncooked pasta. If you have room in the crock and want to add any of the additional ingredients, do it now. Stir again making sure everything is incorporated, cover and cook on LOW for another hour. 

Before serving, check the seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve in soup bowls, sprinkle with grated parmesan if desired. 

from 'Coconut Layer Cake Murder' by Joanne Fluke