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Posted on Tue, Dec. 02, 2008

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Hearty Italian sausage soup loses calories

When you head out to those holiday parties, don't go hungry. An empty stomach makes those high-fat appetizers and sweets even more tempting, but eating a bowl of this healthy and hearty soup beforehand can help curb your appetite and leave you some calories to spare.

I adapted this soup from a recipe on Olive Garden's Web site. To lighten it up, I cut the amount of Italian sausage in half, added some navy beans and slightly reduced the rice that the original recipe called for.

My changes to this soup trimmed the calories by 21 percent and sliced away 39 percent of the fat. You can have a cup of my Italian Sausage Soup for 143 calories and 2.5 fat grams.

Reach Kathy Manweiler at 316-268-6266 or kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com. For more Don't Say Diet recipes, visit the Alive & Well Web site at www.wichitaaliveandwell.com.

KATHY'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP

½lb. sweet Italian sausage, ground

2/3cup uncooked long-grain white rice

6 cups beef broth (low sodium if desired)

1 can (15 oz.) navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

¼teaspoon pepper

1 box (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed dry

Cook ground sausage over medium heat in a soup pot until the meat is browned and crumbly. Add rice, beef broth, beans, tomatoes and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in chopped spinach and let simmer for a few minutes.

Makes 8 1-cup servings

Per cup: 143 calories, 2.5 fat grams, 8mg cholesterol, 23 carb grams, 9 protein grams, 736mg sodium, 4 fiber grams

Adapted from an OliveGarden.com recipe

The Wichita Eagle