Sopranos-style Sausage Minestrone

Total Time: 11 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 10 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 lbs sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 slices prosciutto, cut into julienne strips
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed plum tomatoes, with their juice
• 4 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 ounces green beans, ends snapped, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 cup dried brown lentils or 1 cup split peas
• 1 head escarole or 1 head swiss chard, cut into 1-inch pieces
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, rind cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
• 8 cups beef broth
• 2 cups cooked orzo

Recipe

• 1 cook sausage in a big skillet over high heat, breaking up any large pieces, until it is no longer pink.
• 2 transfer sausage to the insert of a 5-7 quart slow cooker.
• 3 remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet and add the olive oil.
• 4 add in the prosciutto and saute for 2 minutes, until it begins to get crisp.
• 5 add in onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and saute until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• 6 deglaze the pan with the wine and boil until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• 7 add in the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
• 8 transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert; stir in the potatoes, beans, zucchini, lentils, escarole, cheese rind, and broth.
• 9 cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until the soup is thickened and the lentils are softened.