Italian Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

Winter Italian Soup

Winter is perfect for chunky soups full of delicious meats and cheese-filled pastas.  This soup is a natural Italian combo and came out delicious.  I started with this recipe, read the comments, then made it my own.  Enjoy with a slice of Italian homemade bread and you are on your way to a lovely evening at home, curled up by the fire, with your favorite person, favorite beverage, or both.

Italian Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup (makes a huge pot, about 6 big ol’ bowls)

1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 green pepper

1 onion

1 zucchini

2 carrots, peeled

1 T garlic, chopped

3/4 cup red wine, I had a Sylvester Merlot on hand

32 oz low-sodium chicken broth

28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

8 oz tomato sauce PLUS a can of water (allows you to rinse it for recycling)

1 small can sliced mushrooms

1 T italian seasonings

1/2 T pepper

1/3 T kosher salt

9 oz fresh cheese tortellini

In large Dutch oven, cook Italian sausage until done, remove from pan and let drain on paper towels.  Chop all vegetables about the same size and cook with the garlic in some oil for about 5-6 minutes.  Add in everything but the pasta.  Let simmer for about 45 minutes.  Add in pasta and cook until tortellini are done (they usually float when they are ready to eat).

Pasta e Fagioli

Taken with my iphone, but delicious none the less!

Olive Garden.  Soup, salad, breadsticks.  Why not make one of their famous soups at home – and slurp it with a big spoon in your pajames (which is ok to do in public if you are Little Buddy’s size, but not an adult).

The wonder drug of Italian cooking, or at least one of them, is Italian sausage.  There is not a substitute in my opinion, so I don’t know what you really do if you are a vegetarian or vegan or for religious reasons won’t eat it.  But, I used the real thing for this recipe!  So yummy and adds so much flavor in every mouth-watering, slurp-worthy, dribble on the chin action going on, bite!

Pasta e Fagioli (I started out with this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Closet Cooking, and changed it some and loved my doctoring)!

1 Package Italian sausage ***I like the ground meat style in a package, instead of the casing kind.  Less messy and less work!

Canola oil for your pan

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped *You want the onions and carrots to be chopped about the same size

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp Gourmet Gardens garlic paste **I love the taste of garlic, not necessarily biting into garlic

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 cup white wine

4 cups homemade chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes with italian herbs (basil, oregano, all the good stuff)

2 cans cannelllini beans, rinsed and drained

2 T tomato paste

1 tsp french thyme ***I love penzey’s spices, a wedding gift!

1 cup dry mini farfalle, or any other mini pasta you like

1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt **Then others can flavor with these spices to their liking

Shaved Parmesan cheese for some salty goodness on the top

Cook sausage.  Drain.  Add vegetables to pan (with more oil) and cook till just tender (about 7 minutes).

Remove vegetables and add spices to more oil and wine.  Deglaze pan and the let spices heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add rest of ingredients (except pasta and cheese).  Let simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  At about the 30 minute mark, add pasta.  Cook until pasta is done.  It won’t hurt this recipe to let is simmer for longer than 45 minutes.

Serve in a big pretty bowl topped with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with a lovely mixed green salad and some italian or french bread.

With this recipe, you don’t need to stand in line for a table or tip your waiter.  And there are plenty of leftovers.