italian sausage soup

This is my dad's recipe... but I make it quite often and it's always a hit!

The recipe...

1 lb of sausage -Italian or pork (I used hamburger tonight b/c I didn't have sausage and it worked great!

1/2  large onion or 1 small

2 medium carrots

1 celery stalk

8 cups chicken broth

8 oz can tomato sauce

14 1/2 oz can dices tomatoes

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dired rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup pasta -shells, orzo, macaroni, bow ties, etc. (Use your favorite kind of small shell- tonight I used a mixture of shells I had in the pantry)

Brown meat and put into soup pot.  Add diced onion, carrots, and celery.  Add rest of ingredients except pasta.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Let simmer until ready to add pasta.  Bring to a boil, add pasta to soup, serve when pasta is tender.  (DO NOT add more than a cup of pasta!  It looks like there's not much in the pot at first, but eventually the pasta absorbs the soup and takes over if you're not careful!)

I added feta cheese to my bowl in the picture.  It was REALLY good with the cheese.  Eric added freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.  You could also use mozzerella or other favorites!

Serve with your choice of bread or crackers and enjoy!!!!