Spicy Sausage & Chickpea Soup

Every week our local paper prints a few recipes that people write in and request.  Imagine my surprise when JAY!, for the first time, went through it and INSISTED I make him this soup.  He went to the store and got all the crap delicious ingredients and I went to work.  HOLY MOLY AMAZING SOUP!!!  It was soooooo good!!  It is definitely going on my regular rotation :)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 pound spicy Italian sausage (You can use chicken or turkey too)
salt and ground pepper, to taste
3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
1 (2- to 3-inch piece) Parmesan rind (I used grated, NO IDEA what this is- LOLLL)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

In a large, heavy pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. With a spatula, push onions into a pile onto one side of the pot. (My pot wasnt big enough so I removed them to a bowl for this step, then re-added)

Remove the sausage from its casing, and add to the pot, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then stir together with the onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse two cans of the chickpeas, and coarsely puree the 3rd can. Add the whole and pureed chickpeas to the soup pot, along with the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, rosemary and Parmesan rind (I didnt have this so I used 1 cup of grated parm cheese). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Remove Parmesan rind(or not, LOL). 
Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and minced rosemary, if desired, and serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.