Italian Sausage & Spinach Soup with Baby Pasta Shells

Step 1: Squeeze sausages from casings. Place sausage meat with 1 tablespoon olive oil into an minimum 8-quart pot; heat and cook over medium-high heat stirring and breaking meat apart with a spoon, until browned and crumbly 8-10 minutes. Transfer meat to a bowl leaving some fat in the pot.

Step 2: Add onion; saute stirring until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and basil; saute 1 minute. Add celery, broth, tomatoes (including juice) and beans. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Add uncooked pasta, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is just tender to bite, about 15 minutes. Skim and discard fat floating on top os broth.

Step 4: Stir in spinach and cook just until it is wilted, about 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup from the pot. Pass the Parmesan cheese at the table to sprinkle on top.