Even writing about this dish is making me want it again!! Sausage and Tortellini soup. It has a delicious tomato broth with the addition of coconut milk to give it a hint of sweetness and creaminess that compliments the sausage and tortellinis perfectly. The only thing that went wrong was I will definitely be doubling it next time!
It's mid-January in Chicago. Cold!! Sometimes we see the sun, but if we do, it just highlights the icy air when you can see the exhaust coming off someone's car or your breath the rare moment you step outside. I'm not a fan. I am however, a fan of soup during this time. Warm, comforting, soup. This one fit the bill.
Using chicken broth, tomatoes and kale to compliment the cheese-stuffed tortellinis and Italian sausage, it was a winner. I added lots of seasonings to give it a nice depth of flavor but not make it too spicy. It worked! The kids ate it. The hubby ate it. I ate it. It was gone in a night. So I say servings were 6, but husband ate probably half of it and the littles went to town.
I don't buy tortellinis often but when I do, the kids go crazy for them. There is something about those tender little pastas with a little bite of cheese in each. Can't find cheese-only stuffed? Cheese and spinach or Ricotta filled would be just fine. Or mini-raviolis. It would all be goooooddd.
How to Make It:
If you follow my recipes, you know I'm a big proponent of using what you have. I don't waste food. Pretty much ever. I think this comes from my post-college "I'm so poor I eat Instant Mashed Potatoes from a Box Every Night" phase, and honestly, it gave me character (highly do not recommend though), and a drive to figure out how to use up everything in the fridge.
If you don't have Kale, spinach is great. If you don't have diced tomatoes, use a can of tomato sauce, rotel, or fire roasted tomatoes. Again, this is super versatile. The seasonings, tortellini and use of the Italian sausage drives the flavor. The tomatoes in the broth really just amp it up a bit.
When I am creating a recipe, I try to get everything out that I'll need first. It helps me move quickly while I'm managing littles from touching the stove, drawing on the walls/themselves/each other or destroying my home. If you know, you know.
In a random trip to Trader Joe's, I picked these up on a whim since I had been craving some tortellini soup. I tried a crockpot version last winter and my tortellinis became gummy. It wasn't my cup of tea. So make sure this is cooked on the stove top. It comes together so quickly though, within 40 minutes (including 30 minutes of no-babysit simmer time), so it's really no trouble at all if you can find a few minutes to throw a few ingredients in the pan.
First things first, I browned up my sausage. I like a good brown on the outsides to leave little brown bits in the bottom of my pan. This will add flavor. Plus it keeps the sausage from getting too soft if you know what I mean. After they're down browning I pull the out.
Chop them up! Notice how they aren't cooked through? This is fine. They will finish in the broth so they become tender but still impart all of that flavor in the soup.
In my what appears to be a dirty dutch oven (which is just a big pan with a heavy top), mine is linked here, I added in my chopped garlic and red onion that's diced uniformly. A white onion would be fine as well. Cook until the onions become translucent, just a few minutes, and the garlic begins to brown.
Next, add in the broth, and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom. Once it begins to boil a bit and the brown bits loosen, add in the tomatoes, sausage, kale as well as the seasonings. Put the top back on and cook for about 30 minutes. The kale should be wilted when you add in the tortellinis. Follow the instructions on the package but ensure the soup is at a gentle boil. The tortellinis will float when it's done.
After about 7 minutes, my tortellinis were floating so I added in a can of lite coconut milk. Whole milk, heavy cream, half and half would all work as well. I don't usually buy that though so coconut milk it is. I cooked for a few more minutes to ensure the soup was piping hot before serving.
Done and done. Time to dig in!!