Tortellini Sausage Soup

I make this soup regularly in the winter.  It is filling and perfect for those cold rainy nights.  I rarely make it the same way twice because it is the kind of soup that you make with whatever you have on hand.  Let your taste buds drive you to your own perfect combination.

Ingredients

1 lb ground Italian Sausage

Olive oil as needed

1 onion, diced (use more if you like!)      

3 carrots, diced

4 celery ribs, sliced across rib

2 TBSP garlic, minced

1 cup red wine

2 quarts Stock (I tend to use chicken but Beef would be preferable)

¼ cup better than bouillon paste

2 TBSP Italian Seasoning (mixture of basil, oregano and Thyme)

2 TBSP tomato paste

9 ounces Cheese Tortellini (lately, I have been using Trader Joe’s)

Water as needed

Salt and pepper as needed

Instructions

In a medium hot pan, fry sausage until just cooked.

Remove Sausage to a plate and set aside.

If the pan is dry, add some olive oil to the pan. Add in chopped onion and sauté till slightly pink. Add salt to onions to help them sweat.

Add garlic and move around with onions for a minute.

Add the rest of the veggies to onion mixture and cook for a few minutes till onions are translucent.

Add sausage back in and deglaze with red wine. Make sure that you get up all the good stuff left in the bottom of the pan mixed into the wine.

Add in stock and bouillon and herbs and bring to a boil.

Add tomato paste and with the mixture boiling add in Tortellini.

Is there enough liquid to boil the pasta and still have the dish be a soup?  Then don’t add water, otherwise add water to cook the pasta and soup together.

Bring soup back to a boil and then reduce heat, pan covered till the pasta is done which is whatever your pasta box says for cooking time.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and more herbs as needed.

Add Parmesan cheese to the bowls of soup when you serve.

Notes:

I like to cook this in my cast iron cook pot that my children gave to me.  It makes it taste better.

I have thrown in crushed tomatoes to this, zucchini (at the very end to preserve their shape), kale, spinach, red bell peppers and even potatoes, whatever you have in your fridge. 

I have also used sausage links and just sliced them into rounds but I find the ground sausage easier to eat.

Sliced and toasted bread are nice to have this meal.

Okay, Chianti is also nice and tasty…