I mixed up our weekly schedule a bit after I read this recipe. I have classes at work all week, so I knew I'd be getting home a little later, and this recipe called for quite a bit of prep. The good thing about this recipe is you can do 85% of the work a day or two before, so I knocked that out Sunday night.
This recipe is from a sweet lady I met at a mom's group in San Diego with my sister. She served a chicken and tortellini soup, which was good, but also gave us the recipe for this one. I'm trying to up my vegetable intake so this seemed like a great way! Now, I'm not saying this is all that healthy, considering it starts with a pound of sausage... :) but it is so yummy so its worth it!
Ingredients:
1 lb sausage (sweet or chorizo recommended,
I used regular italian) - not pictured, it was browning!
1 c chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
5 c beef stock or canned broth-
I used 3c beef stock and 2c broth from bouillon
2 c chopped tomatoes -
I used crushed, and just 1 can
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium size green bell pepper, diced
1/2 c dry red wine -
I omitted
2 T dried basil
2 T dried oregano
8-10 oz fresh cheese tortellini - like Buitoni
freshly grated parmesan cheese
-Saute sausage in large pot over medium heat until cooked through, crumbling with spoon. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl.
-Pour off all but 1 T drippings from pan
(I only had about 1 T or less so I didn't pour any out). Add onion and garlic to pan and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return sausage to pan. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetables, wine and herbs.
-Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. (Up to this point can be prepared ahead 1 or 2 days ahead. If so, cover and refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before continuing.)
Here's what it looked like when it was done simmering and ready to go in the fridge
-Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
Ready to eat!
I made some cornbread to accompany our soup. It was a Trader Joe's mix that my sister brought me from California and it was SO good. Trader Joe's - PLEASE COME TO DALLAS! Everything I've ever had from there has been awesome. I so wish we had one closer!
Hope you guys try this out, its a perfect meal for winter and quick if you do the prep the day before! Enjoy!
