Souper Sunday: Pasta Fagioli

So.
I actually made soup on Sunday.  It's been a bit of a challenge to actually make this happen recently, and while I enjoy soup I don't always get to things as I'd like to.  Perhaps it's the procrastinator in me, or maybe I'll just blame it on the boogie.
I did need a smaller recipe for soup that J and I could possibly eat in a couple of meals just before Christmas.  I wanted a Sunday night/Christmas Eve lunch that would go together quickly and make a hearty meal.  I turned to Taste of Home.
I have a Taste of Home magazine of heartwarming soups that was to be displayed until April 28, 2008.  I've admired many of the pictures, but don't really make all that much out of it.  I bought it back in my "buy the magazine and admire the pictures" phase of cooking before I realized that I was being threatened by piles of magazines that I was saving for the day when I would make things from them.  This magazine survived that purge, but I still don't make much.
Enter a need for a new soup that didn't serve 10.  While flipping, I found this recipe for pasta fagioli soup that sounded good and said it served 5.  I'm thinking we'll get at least 6 bowls out of it.  But it's yummy.
I present to you now TOH's Heartwarming Soup, Pasta Fagioli:

Ingredients

1 lb bulk sausage (the original called for 1/2 a lb, but I could only get it in a 1 lb package and I didn't feel like freezing half.  J didn't mind.)
1 chopped onion
1-1/2 tsp oil
1 minced garlic clove
4 c chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
3/4 c uncooked elbow macaroni
1 c fresh spinach leaves
Parmesan cheese

Method
1.  In a large saucepan, cook sausage until no longer pink.  Drain and set aside.  In the same pan, add oil and onion and saute until onion is soft.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
2.  Add the broth, beans, tomatoes, and pepper, bring to a boil.  Add macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until macaroni is tender.
3.  Reduce heat to low and stir in sausage and spinach.  Cook until heated through and the spinach has wilted.
4.  Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese

 Adapted from Taste of Home's Heartwarming Soups 2008

This had lovely flavour.  It smelled really good while cooking too.  I used a local sausage this time, and would use them again in a heartbeat.  It was lean and very little draining needed to take place.

J said it reminded him of Italian Wedding Soup, which I haven't made in a long time.  With the spinach, ground meat and macaroni, I can see why he'd say that.  I found that I would have liked a slightly thicker broth, but this was easy and made as much if not more than what the servings stated.  Or it could be I extended things by doubling the meat.  That's probably it.