Italian Sausage and Chickpea Soup

I made this yummy soup just a few days ago, and it will be a family favorite for sure now! I did change a few things to the recipe, so I will just put my version for now.....
While cooking it, our kitchen smelled like an Italian kitchen, and the kiddos kept running saying "It smells so yummy Mom, like pizza!"

Italian Sausage and Chickpea Soup
Love:Jenny Burdge
2 TBSP Olive oil
1 large onion chopped
12 Italian sausages, thawed and casings removed
2-4 potatoes, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 Cup fresh, flat leaf parsley
1/4 Cup fresh, chopped cilantro
3 TBSP fennel seed
2 Tbsp oregano
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Cups chicken broth
2 15 ounce cans ( jars, or fresh) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach ( can omit if desire)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
8 slices of toast ( optional)
Fresh parmesan, asagio, romano cheese

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven.Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the diced potatoes and the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.Stir in the parsely, cilantro, fennel seed, and cook 1 minute. Add the broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Add the frozen spinache and simmer, partially covered , for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Toast the bread. Divide the toasted bread, if using, among individual bowls, and spoon the soup on top. Garnish with fresh parmesan, romano, or asagio cheeses.

Enjoy!
love,
Jenny