Cozy Chicken & Sausage Soup

A pot of homemade soup, a warm kitchen, and nowhere else you need to be. Tender pulled chicken, savory Italian sausage, carrots, celery, tomatoes, turnip, okra and little spoonfuls of macaroni come together in a rich, flavorful broth. Serve it piping hot with crusty bread, gather around the table, and let supper linger just a little longer.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cleaned
• 1 pound Italian sausage (mild or sweet)
• ¼ cup good-quality olive oil
• Water, just enough to cover the chicken
• 3 stalks celery, or more as desired
• 3 large carrots, or more as desired
• 1 large onion
• 1 large can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed and drained
• 1 cup fresh or frozen turnip, or more as desired
• 1 bag frozen okra
• ½ cup fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• Sea salt and coarse black pepper, to taste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Cooked soup macaroni
• Grated cheese of your choice

Instructions

1. Remove the sausage from the casing if necessary and cook in a large soup pot, breaking it into rustic bite-sized pieces. Once browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Add a little olive oil to the same pot and sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the water, whole chicken, tomatoes, and turnip. Season with sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parsley.
4. Bring everything to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2 hours, until the chicken is tender and completely cooked.
5. Remove the chicken. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones.
6. Return the chicken to the soup along with the browned sausage and okra. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and everything is heated through.
7. Place cooked soup macaroni into individual bowls and ladle the hot chicken and sausage soup over the top.
8. Finish with fresh parsley and plenty of freshly grated cheese.

Keeping the macaroni separate until serving helps prevent it from absorbing too much broth while the soup is stored.

For even more flavor, use a mix of sweet and hot Italian sausage, or add a bit more red pepper flakes.