Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup

Do you ever wake up at 3:30am and not been able to fall back asleep?  I tossed and turned and finally got up at 5:30am and prepped this soup for the slow-cooker.  Hope you enjoy!

Italian Sausage & Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
3 sweet Italian sausages
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1 cup white navy beans
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 cans whole tomatoes, including juice, crushed by hand
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

Method:
Squeeze the sausage out of the casings, forming little "balls" as you go.  In patches, brown in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, chop all vegetables and add all ingredients into the slowcooker.  Add the sausage balls.  Set the slowcooker on low for 6-8 hours. 

When I got home from work, I cooked up a cup of rotini pasta and added to the bowls when serving.  Garnish with fresh parmesan and serve!!