Chickpea & Sausage Minestrone

I don't know about where you live, but here on the East Coast, it is still cold....very cold...and rainy....oh yuck, it has rained for three days straight!!! So, with no real "spring" in sight, I decided to make a warm, hearty soup for dinner tonight....because really, it's still soup weather for this side of the country! And this recipe from Cooking Light magazine warmed us up nicely. So, if you abide in a sunny state, are basking in the warmth of spring and eating al fresco every night, stash this recipe away come fall. But for the rest of us, whom Mother Nature has been oh-so-spiteful to this winter, enjoy this easy, hearty soup this week.

• 3/4 cup uncooked small shell pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage, casing removed <I used a mild chicken sausage>
• 1 cup diced onion 
• 1 cup diced carrot 
• 1/2 cup diced celery 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); cook 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute.