Hot Soup for Cold Days

Recently I made this soup for a pastor's wives gathering and someone asked for the recipe, so I thought I'd share it here.
My friend Kelly originally gave me the recipe and I loved it as soon as I tried it (Any other Olive Garden fans out there? I really like Olive Garden's Italian soup, "Zupa Tuscana," and I think this recipe tastes a lot like it. Just leave out the tomatoes if you want the soup as close to O.G. as possible....although it's great with the tomatoes too!) : )

Italian soup
1 onion (The first time I made it, I used a frozen mixture of red, yellow and green peppers and onion. About one large cup total. This worked well too.)
2 cloves garlic, or the equivalent in dried minced garlic
1 1/2 - 2 large boxes chicken broth (I like the taste of powdered chicken bouillon, so that's what I hand on hand and used, mixed with water to make chicken broth)
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, browned
3 medium potatoes, diced or sliced with skin on
1 can tomatoes, or chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tsp. thyme
fresh spinach, arugula, or frozen or dried spinach
Parmesan cheese
*Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add broth, sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add spinach or arugula just before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Hope you enjoy!