Roasted Tomato Soup with Ground Beef, Sausage, Garbanzos, Macaroni, and Basil

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped in pieces 1/2 inch or less
• 1 T minced garlic
• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 3 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup roasted tomatoes, diced into small pieces
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground fennel
• 2 links hot turkey Italian sausage
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup water, to deglaze pan
• 1 can garbanzo beans, chickpeas
• 1/2 cup macaroni
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Warm 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
2. As the onions soften, put the homemade chicken stock, tomato sauce, slow-roasted tomatoes, dried basil, dried oregano, and ground fennel into a large soup pot and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
3. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture into the soup pot.
4. Using that same skillet, cook the ground beef with the turkey sausage, removing the sausage from the links as you add it. Brown the meat until it is fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
5. As the meat cooks, press it apart with the back of a turner so the pieces stay small.
6. Once the meat is cooked, move the ground beef and sausage into the soup pot.
7. Put the lid on the pot and let the soup simmer over very low heat for 1 hour.
8. After 1 hour, stir in the beans and continue simmering with the pot uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
9. Add the macaroni and simmer for 30 minutes more. Depending on how snugly your lid sits on the pot, you may want to stir in a little extra water.
10. When the macaroni is tender, stir in the chopped fresh or frozen basil and cook for 5 minutes.
11. Serve the soup hot. Add grated parmesan cheese on top if you’d like.