Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup This is a really rustic and delicious soup.  Ridiculously easy to make, it another myth-buster that soup cannot be properly made on a weeknight unless you have a red and white can on the shelf.  Hah.  This soup is a breeze to make, smells fabulous while cooking, and warms you right down to your toes.  I recommend it with some cheesy Asiago toasts and a nice glass of Chianti INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound Italian sausage, (or try one of those gourmet sausages that they have now), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 ¼ cups chopped fennel 1 ¼ cups chopped onion 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 cups chicken broth one 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon sage one 19-ounce can cannellini beans with the liquid reserved In a 6-quart saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the sausage over medium heat. Cook sausage until heated through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove sausage and drain drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add the fennel and onion to pan; sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, pepper and sage. Cook 10 minutes. Add cannellini beans with reserved liquid and cooked sausage. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes more.   Buon appetito!