Tortellini Sausage Soup

Good Morning!

Thanks for stopping by!

It's been an interesting Spring around here... our weather fluctuates between rain to 80 degrees and windy in the course of a few hours lately - I know, I know, it's called Spring (as my KY friend explained to me), but here in So Cal, well, we don't really do seasons the same way everyone else does!

I'm one of those people who like to prepare dinners to match the weather.  If it's cold, then I want comfort food... when it's hot, I want to BBQ everything or have sandwiches and salads all the time!  So you may be able to see my my consternation over this unpredictable weather!  How can I plan dinner for a Bermuda triangle of weather!  Now that my crazy is out there, it does sound a little silly out loud, but what's a blog if not to put your crazy out there?!

I've been opting for soup a lot lately, I'm a soup lover and I found this fantastic recipe for Tortellini and Sausage soup over on Our Best Bites this winter and we've been having it ever since!  It's super easy to make, super delicious (I've gotten hoards of compliments every time someone new tries it!) and it makes a large batch so you can either have leftovers or feed a large crew!

Tortellini Soup

Photos and Recipe courtesy of Our Best Bites

 

 

 

Tortellini Sausage Soup

3 links Italian sausage (12 ounces)
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 15-oz. cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider (don’t leave this out! I did once and it wasn’t the same…)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley (yes, that’s two tablespoons)

If you’re using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing. And just so you know, both Sara and I have tried taking pictures of this method and there is no G-rated way of posting those pictures…

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you’ll want to drain it when it’s about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic

 

and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini

 

and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Add the tortellini (I used the dried tortellini by Barilla which is less expensive but you can used the fresher, refrigerator if you'd rather) and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

 

 

And that's that!  It's so yummy, so much delicious flavor and I feel so good about serving it to my family due to the amazing amount of vegetables!  I always use more sausage than they call for because Big A loves it that way... click here for a direct link to the recipe on Our Best Bites!  And if you're not feeling soup, check out their other recipes - I haven't found one that I don't LOVE!

 

Have a great Monday!

Andrea