Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup

Instructions

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage in two batches so the meat sears instead of steaming, breaking it into bite-size crumbles and leaving it undisturbed against the pot long enough to color deeply in spots, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon. Spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat, adding the olive oil if the pot looks dry.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the tomato paste darkens to brick red and the garlic smells fragrant.
3. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Pour in the chicken stock, return the sausage and any collected juices, and bring to a steady simmer. Partially cover and cook for 15 minutes so the tomatoes soften and the stock picks up the sausage and herbs.
4. While the soup simmers, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta shells until just al dente according to the package directions, then drain. Toss with a small splash of olive oil if they will sit for more than a few minutes. Keeping the shells separate is what prevents them from swelling and stealing the broth from tomorrow's soup.
5. Turn off the heat and stir the basil and red wine vinegar into the soup. Taste and season with salt, black pepper, more vinegar for brightness, or a splash of chicken stock if you want a looser bowl.
6. Spoon the al dente shells into each bowl and ladle the hot soup over them. Finish with more basil and optional Parmesan at the table. Refrigerate leftover soup and pasta in separate containers for up to 4 days, or freeze the soup without the pasta for up to 3 months.