Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

I have been a slacker here, and have a back load of recipes to post, but I am starting with tonights dinner, Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini, because it's a soup and with spring on the horizon, the days for warm soups and comfort food will be over and replaced with delicious grilled meats and fresh garden salads!

What You Need:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

The Steps:
1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.





Saute onions and garlic in drippings.


Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.


Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes.


Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving. And if you can make these Garlic Croutons to serve on top, as I did tonight! YUM!

First cube a baguette


Next, melt butter in pan and saute the garlic for about a minute. Then add the bread to coat.


Then spread on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven (350 degrees) for 15 minutes! I sprinkled mine with some freshly grated parmigiana reggiano cheese.


The Verdict: This soup is fantastic! I served it with my garlic croutons and some more freshly grated cheese. Mmmm. So comforting! It was a hit with the boys too!

The first time I made this exactly as the recipe stated. This time I made some changes. I used chicken sausage, omitted the zucchini (the Doc isn't much of a fan in general and I just didn't think it went well in the soup). I also used a 32oz can of San Marzano whole tomatoes with the liquid because I forgot to get the 8oz can of sauce. It made the sauce thinner but still delicious!