As my blog partner Edie said in her last post, it is soup season. We here at Bring It are non-stop soup making machines lately. This sausage tortellini soup is hearty! It is so hearty that you can practically eat it with a fork.
I made this soup recently for the Upper Valley Haven where I volunteer to cook once a month. I make dinners for the adult shelter with two other cook partners. We love this opportunity to cook and share meals with these individuals each month. The Upper Valley Haven is a fantastic organization providing temporary shelter and educational programming for homeless families and adults as well as food and clothing to anyone in need. The people working at the Haven are the nicest group of people anywhere! They are always smiling and so willing to give. I am fortunate to have found such a perfect volunteer opportunity to combine my love of cooking with an organization such as the Haven. If you want more information about the Upper Valley Haven, click here.
As for me making this soup filled with meat, well, I’m a meat-cooking vegetarian. I have a son who is a carnivore extraordinaire and there are plenty of dinner parties where I make a meat dish and a veggie dish just to cover all my bases. So, I really didn’t get a chance to try this soup, but from the way it was lapped up, I think it was a success.
Ingredients
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef stock
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
Fresh spinach, amount is up to you
2 small zucchini, sliced
½ cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
Red pepper flakes to taste
10 oz cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese
Method
Saute sausage in Dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through, crumbling with back of spoon, about 10-12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings from Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic to Dutch oven and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return sausage. Add all other ingredients. Simmer 40 minutes.
Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender (check package instructions for how many minutes). Season soup with salt and pepper.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bring It
This soup will be thick which is perfect for the transport. This thickness will minimize the soup sloshing around in your backseat while you navigate the highways and byways. I usually leave my soup in the pot and tape the lid to the pot. Or you could transfer to a very large Tupperware which is probably a safer bet.
