This Garlicky Italian Sausage Soup Is the Most Comforting Recipe I Know

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

For me, comfort food isn’t just something that warms me up from the inside out, or gives my stomach that satisfyingly fuzzy feeling: It’s something that evokes good memories. As a recipe developer, I tinker with all sorts of classically comforting dishes involving cheese, carbs, cream, or a combination of all of those things. But it’s not what I crave when I’ve had a long day — or, in the name of 2020, a long year.

Like so many people, I spent the last year baking loaves upon loaves of sourdough and tackling other complicated cooking projects, but they didn’t bring me the solace I was seeking. As is often the case, the answer to my problem was much simpler.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound uncooked hot Italian sausage, or sweet Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, orpork), casings removed if using links
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed well
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth along with the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Stir in the rice and continue to simmer gently, covered but with the lid slightly ajar, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the basil and serve garnished with shaved Parmesan.