Sausage Tortellini Soup
I made this soup for my book club a few months back and the amount of enthusiasm it received was almost comical. The whole giant dutch oven of soup (I doubled this recipe) was devoured as we stood around my kitchen island for an hour, dunking crusty bread into our bowls and spending very little time discussing the actual book. All the girls requested I send over the recipe, so you can trust that this one has been approved by lots of people who love good food! Speaking of Book Club… Ours is a little more like a wine club, where no one reads the book but we always show up for the conversation and libations. ;) Have any good book recommendations?!
SAUSAGE TORTELLINI SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound crumbled sausage hot italian works, or you can doctor up basic breakfast sausage.
- 1 t olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 t italian seasoning or a combination of basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary and garlic powder.
- 1/4 t red pepper flake or more, depending on preference
- 1 16-oz can plain tomato sauce
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 8-oz package of cream cheese, any flavor
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 9-oz package refrigerated tortellini
- freshly grated parmesan to garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1.) Pour olive oil into large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Crumble in sausage, white onion, and 2 t of italian seasonings. Continue to break apart sausage and stir until cooked through. Towards the end of the sausage cook time, add in your minced garlic and stir.
2.) Drain fat if needed, but leave a tablespoon behind. Add in 1/2 t pepper flake, one can of tomato sauce, and 3 cups of broth.
3.) Once soup is at a low simmer, add in cream cheese. The easiest way to get a smooth mixture is to use a rubber spatula and glide the cream cheese along the side of your pan. This will melt it more than mix it.
4.) Add in tortellini, and cook until tender. Tortellini generally only takes 2 minutes to cook through, but if your soup is at a simmer instead of a boil, it will take a few extra minutes.
5.) Taste, and add in salt and pepper to taste.
6.) Garnish with freshly grated parmesan, and enjoy!
A few notes: To add some healthy greens to the mix, add in fresh kale or spinach when you add in the tortellini. Allow it to wilt in the soup as the tortellini cooks through. If you want an even more luxurious soup, you can also add 1/2 cup of heavy cream in addition to the cream cheese. If you go this route (first off, YUM), just be sure to add in additional seasonings to make up for the extra liquid.
This can also be easily adapted in your Instant Pot. Just turn it onto sauté mode and cook away. If you have the time, once you’ve finished step two, put your lid on and cook on manual pressure for 2 minutes to really bring the flavors together before you continue.
