Tortellini Soup

For me, soup always hits the spot when it’s cold outside! Tortilla and Mexico City Style (kinda similar in flavors) is one of my all time favorites, but I wanted to change it up this time. This tortellini soup actually reminds me of a lasagna soup I made last year. I just love the hearty Italian flavors! It’s simple to make and keeps pretty well — even better if you add the tortellini separately to keep it from getting too soft.

I love serving soup in these bowls, even though I think they’re meant for pasta. They keep me from filling my bowl too much, aka eating 3 servings on accident. I typically pop them in oven on warm for a few minutes so that the soup stays extra hot!

I wish I could say that I shared this soup with Rob or friends, but I literally ate the entire pot over the course of 4-5 days by myself. The only thing that was missing was a french baguette to soak up the extra tomatoey broth!

Tortellini Soup

serves 4-6

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 links Jennie O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 box of fresh tortellini, I used spinach, but anything you like will work
• 2 cups chopped raw kale
• S&P to taste

Garnish:

• shredded mozzarella
• grated parmesan
• fresh basil

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once hot, add turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink. Remove from the pan, but leave any drippings behind.
2. If necessary, add a little more olive oil, then add the onion, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, dried basil and oregano. Saute them for 5-8 minutes until onions are soft.
3. Add tomato paste and scrape any brown bits from the bottom.
4. Add garlic, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth — stir to combine. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Add turkey sausage back to pan and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
5. Add tortellini and kale and cook until tortellini is cooked through.
6. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
7. Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded mozzarella, parmesan and fresh basil.