My mom found the original recipe on a can of something twenty years ago, but since then it has taken on a life of its own. Everyone who has frequented the Munsell residence has probably eaten it. If not, consider yourself a fringe friend.

May I present, Sausage Pasta Soup.

There’s no official recipe. My mom, siblings, and friends all have a different take on the dish. But, it would be useless of me to post pictures without giving you anything. So, here is last night’s ingredient list.

• 1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
• Enough onion to make a grown man-boy cry
• A few big carrots, chopped
• Ants on a log. Minus peanut butter, minus raisins. Chopped
• Fresh garlic, pressed/minced
• Large can of crushed tomatoes, regular size cans of diced & stewed tomatoes
• Four cups of beef broth
• Pasta (Rigatoni, Penne, or step-son Penne Rigate)
• Basil, black pepper, oregano, bay leaf
• 1 Serrano pepper

Variants & Additions:

• Add a couple spicy peppers and spicy sausage (a la Steve)
• For the gluten free, replace pasta with cannellini beans
• For vegetarians, replace beef broth with vegetable broth and sausage with something that isn’t as good. Then try renaming it. You may not be invited to the Munsell residence again.

Chop

Squeeze

Eat

Not helpful enough?

• Brown sausage in garlic and olive oil, drain fat
• Cook onions until translucent, then add in the rest of chopped veggies, and stir
• Add in broth and tomatoes, stir some more
• Add approximately two cans of water
• Add spices & bring to boil
• Simmer down now, for an hour
• Cook pasta
• Scoop pasta in bowl, pour soup over it
• Top with Parmesan/Romano (Optional)
• Eat today, eat tomorrow, eat for a week