#31 – Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup

I was beyond thrilled with how this Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup turned out. My husband even commented about how it tasted like a soup you would buy at a restaurant, a really expensive restaurant. Of course that flattered my ego, so I was even more thrilled with my tasty Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup. I think it’s the red wine personally, but something about this Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup is so rich tasting and oh so satisfying.

A few years ago some of my co-workers got me hooked on soup. Instead of craving a heavy, carb-filled lunch, we would go on a hunt for piping hot soup (with a side of salad) during our lunch breaks. The frugal side of me started to add up the expense of my recent soup addiction. So started my search for tasty soup recipes, like my Cabbage Roll Soup, I could make on the weekend and eat for lunches. Most of the time, the recipe made enough for me to feed my soup addicted co-workers as well. My favorite soup is Leek soup – that recipe will follow shortly.

Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb mild Italian sausages, casing removed
1 lrg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups of water
3 beef stock cubes (like Knorr) (or 6 cups of beef broth)
½ cup red wine
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced thin
1 tbsp fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
½ tsp dried oregano
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 zucchini, quartered
8 oz fresh tortellini pasta (about ½ large pkg)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil olive and cook the sausage removed from the casing. Once the sausage is browned, remove the sausage from the pot and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in drippings. Add in the water, stock cubes, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until the carrots of just tender.
3. Add the zucchini. Simmer covered for an additional 15 minutes. Add tortellini and cook for 10 minutes. Serve as soon as possible once tortellini is cooked.