Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup

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My sister loves soup and loves to make soup. She served her vegetable soup with tortellini, and it was hearty and delicious and everything you want a soup to be. Her soup inspired me to try a variation of a traditional Italian soup that meets those same standards. In 30 minutes, you have a nourishing meal that has vegetables, protein, and pasta. Here is how I make it.

Heat 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot and add one diced onion, 2 peeled and diced carrots and 2 diced stalks of celery. Sprinkle with salt and cook until soften – about 5 minutes or so. Remove the casings from 3 Italian sausage links and add to the pot breaking them up into about 1-inch pieces. Cook until no longer pink then add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and cook one minute more. Add 1 teaspoon of oregano and 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds and cook 3 – 4 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with a ¼ cup of red wine scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan then add 1 quart of chicken stock and 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Add 9 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortellini, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 6 – 7 minutes. Stir in ½ cup of frozen corn and 5 – 6 ounces of fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, and the corn is warmed through. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese. My Mini Cheddar Drop Biscuits found here would be a good complement.

I hope you will try this; it, too, is everything you want a soup to be. Enjoy!