Rustic Tortellini Soup

By MaryEllen

This meal comes together pretty fast. It's a very hearty meal, that goes great with a salad.
It's a versatile recipe in that you can add additional vegetables or even a can of drained and rinsed cannelini beans, for more protein.

Ingredients

• 3 Italian turkey sausage links (4 ounces each), casings removed (I used the "hot" sausage version)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 2-1/4 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil (or, you can substitute thyme and oregano)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional if not using hot turkey sausage)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
• Yield: 6 servings (2 quarts)
• Number of Servings: 6
• Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 251.9
• Total Fat: 8.4 g
• Cholesterol: 53.9 mg
• Sodium: 1,136.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 27.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.3 g
• Protein: 17.3 g

Preparation

Step 1

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

Add the broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.


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Excellent soup! I added a large container of mushrooms, chopped along with onion and sausage. Also added a rind of Parmigiano Reggiano which was a stroke of genius! Added so much flavor! It eats like a meal, not just a bowl of soup. Served it for company @ lunch and they were mightily impressed!