Rachael Ray's Italian Sub Stoup with Garlic Toast Floaters

We've been making this recipe since we first saw it on 30 Minute Meals when my husband and I were in college.  It's quick, easy, tasty, and great as leftovers.  And fun to make together.  We can also get it prepped, cooked, and ready to eat, including clean up in 30 minutes! (Most "30 Minute Meals" seem to actually always take longer than 30 minutes for me if i'm cooking solo).  Link to the Food Network site and recipe is here, I've also copied it below. We have not ever put arugula in the soup as the directions indicate, primarily because we couldn't get arugula at the grocery stores in Tuscaloosa, Alabama 10 years ago, back when we first started making this dish. Now for some reason it feels strange to start doing it, even though we can readily find arugula.

Happy cooking!    

bell peppers from our garden! still going strong

veggies sliced, don't need to chop small

Browning the meats.  We cook the Italian sausage in a separate pan first, then drain off fat, then add to pot with the remainder of the meats

meats and veggies cooking

cubed bread for the "Garlic Toast Floaters"

Almost ready! 

Yum-O!

Recipe from FoodNetwork.com, from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, plus 1/4 cup for croutons
• 3/4 pound, 3 links, hot or sweet Italian sausage, split and meat removed from casing
• 1/4 pound piece stick pepperoni, diced
• 1 ham steak, diced (about 1/2 to 3/4 pound)
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded, quartered and sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, quartered and sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 pound gemelli pasta or other short-cut pasta
• 5 cups cubed crusty bread
• 3 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bunches arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

Directions

Place a soup pot or deep sided skillet on the stove top and preheat to medium high heat. Add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the sausage. Brown and crumble the sausage, drain off excess fat if necessary then add the ham and pepperoni. Cook meats together 2 minutes then add peppers and onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring stoup to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Make croutons while pasta cooks.

In a large skillet heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 4 turns of the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bread to garlic oil, toss and toast the cubes 5 or 6 minutes. Season the toasty cubes with red pepper flakes, oregano and lots of grated cheese.

Stir arugula into soup just before you serve it up. Ladle up the stoup and float several toasty garlic bread cubes in each bowl.