Chorizo & Pasta Soup

Continuing with my Tex-mex theme, here's a delicious spicy! soup. You probably have everything in your house right now to whip up this pot of yumminess. You can use what ever pasta you have, just remember this is a soup and it needs to stay on a spoon!

• 2 Field Roast chorizo sausages
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3 14 ounce cans vegetable broth 
• 2 cups bottled salsa (I used Pace medium salsa)
• 1 - 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, drained and finely chopped 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 5 ounces dried small shells pasta 
• 1 cup chopped zucchini (1 small) 
• 2/3 cup Diaya mozzarella shreds
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Remove plastic casing from chorizo. Crumble chorizo in a soup pot, add garlic, and cook until chorizo is brown. Set aside.

Stir broth, salsa, chipotle pepper, oregano, and cumin into pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. 

Stir in pasta and zucchini. Simmer, uncovered, until pasta is tender but still firm, stirring occasionally. (Let the cooking directions for the pasta be your guide here.)

Remove pot oven from heat; stir in 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the cilantro.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, if desired, and garnish with additional cilantro.

Makes 6 main-dish servings. Enjoy!