The Crooked Ladle

Italian Tortellini and Sausage Soup - For Ma-Ma Mia's Sake

Italian Tortellini and Sausage Soup - Enjoy the Warmth of this Cozy Full-Bodied Soup!

Italian Tortellini and Sausage Soup

This soup is so fresh tasting and hearty, my guess is you'll want to make it over and over again. With each bite, I anticipate the perfectly seasoned "clean" broth soon followed by a pillow of hearty cheese tortellini and mild sausage. The combination of all the recipe ingredients result in a very satisfying and yummily meal. If you are serving guests, you might want to add to the dinner table, some crusty sour dough bread and a freshly tossed green salad. And in my house, we enjoy a glass of wine with this as well.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 30 Minutes

Suggested Tools:

· Cast iron Dutch oven or other large pot

· Cutting board

· Cutting knife

· Large stir spoon

· Soup ladle

Ingredients:

· 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (or smoked)

· 10 ounces cheese tortellini or

about 2 cups (fresh or frozen)

· 2 cups fresh chopped spinach

· 1 cup fresh carrots, chopped well

· ½ cup yellow onion, chopped well

· 2-3 fresh garlic cloves,

peeled and minced well

· 1 - 14.5-ounce fire roasted tomatoes

– do not drain

· 2 - 14 ounce cans beef broth

· 2 to 3 cups vegetable broth (depending on how much liquid you prefer)

· 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste

· 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

· 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped well

· 1 teaspoon dried oregano

· 1 teaspoon dried basil

· ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

· ½ teaspoon dried thyme

· Salt and pepper to taste

· Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Remove the casing from the sausages and discard the casings.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pot. Heat the oil on medium heat and cook the sausage up, breaking the sausage into pieces before adding it to the pot. Cook off until done, about ten minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot - leaving any excess oil in the pot - and set the cooked sausage aside until it is needed later in step #5 .

3. Add additional olive oil to the pot to ensure there is about 2 tablespoons of total oil (including the leftover from the cooked sausage). Heat the oil on medium-low. Add the carrots and onions and sauté for about ten minutes, until the vegetables become somewhat tender.

4. Add to the vegetables already in the pot, the garlic and the seasonings except for the parsley. Stir all and cook for about one minute. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste and all of the broth. Heat for about five minutes.