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I love this easy healthy soup made with Italian sausage, spinach and wild rice.
I first made it back in October 2000, when it caught my eye in Cooking Light Magazine. I clipped it and added it to my favorite recipes file. My mom—a fellow homemade soup lover—thought it was great and wanted the recipe too.
You know you’ve found a winning soup recipe when you’re still making it 18 years later!
I’m not even sure now what the original recipe title was. I just call it Italian Sausage, Spinach and Wild Rice Soup—since those are the main ingredients. It is filling and delicious—making it a great choice for a light and healthy weeknight supper (or Sunday night supper when you feel ready to compensate a bit for a weekend of indulgences.)
Recipe Notes
The original recipe calls for wild rice – which is delicious, but expensive – and may be difficult to find depending on where you live.
I am in Northern Wisconsin right now – where wild rice is plentiful But I have also made it with a blend of long grain and wild rice which was good too. So, use what you have—it will still be tasty and delicious.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Italian Sausage Spinach Wild Rice Soup?
According to my calculations, each generous 1-1/3 cups serving has just 161 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
3 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you like this Italian-inspired soup, be sure to check out my other WW Friendly recipes including Slow Cooker Ham and Wild Rice Soup, Southwestern Turkey Vegetable Soup, White Bean Soup with Butternut Squash and Kale, Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup and Tangy Spinach Florentine Soup with Chicken
If you have made this Wild Rice Soup with Italian Sausage and Spinach, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Italian Sausage, Spinach, Wild Rice Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 pound turkey Italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 cans (16 ounces each) fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5-ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 3 cups torn spinach
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the wild rice. cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Set aside.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring to break up the sausage into small pieces, heat until it begins to brown.
- Drain sausage, if it seems greasy – but so many of today’s sausages are so lean – there may be nothing to drain.
- Add onion, and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add 3 cups water, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked wild rice, spinach, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Easy, Healthy Soup Recipes for Weight Watchers
- Italian Slow Cooker Pork and White Bean Stew (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Tuscan Spinach, Bean and Sausage Soup (EatingWell)
- Weight Watchers 0 Points Vegetable Soup (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Lentil, Sausage, Brown Rice and Spinach Soup (Kalyn’s Kitchen)
- Taco Soup Recipe (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe (Simple-Nourished-Living)
Couldn’t find wild rice, like you mentioned. So I grabbed a box of wild and long grain rice Rice-a-Roni and added it when I added the broth and other ingredients. Simmer for 20 and it was cooked through. Will definitely make this a lunchtime favorite!
Thanks for letting me know Jill! Much appreciated. ~Martha
I have chicken Italians sausage, would that make a difference in the freestyle points? Soup sounds amazing.
Hi Darleen, It would depend on the calories/fat content of your particular chicken Italian sausage – might shave a point or two but it’s hard to tell for sure!
Delicious and easy to make. Definitely a keeper for my family, thanks!
Thanks, Lisa. Glad you liked it too.