Bean, Fennel And Sausage Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 sweet Italian sausage links or 1/2 lb loose meat sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, sliced thin
5 cups chicken broth
15 ounces cannellini beans, drained
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups chopped fresh spinach or 1/2 a bag frozen chopped spinach

Preparation

Bake sausage links at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove and slice into coin size pieces.
If using loose sausage meat, saute until done and drain well.
Saute onions and fennel in oil in a skillet until soft.
Combine onions, fennel, broth, beans, tomatoes and seasonings in a slow cooker.
Cook on high for 2 hours, or low for 4 to 5 hours.
Can also be made in a regular soup pot on the stove if desired.
Remove bay leaf.
Add spinach and cook until wilted, or if using frozen until heated through.