Favorite Comfort Food Recipe: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

Some recipes truly stand the test of time. The first time I made this soup was when Ken and I were dating, about 10 years ago. In fact, I think it's one of the first dishes I made for him. He loved it, and I made it many times after that. Turning the clock forward to today, I don't think I've made it in a good 5 years now. Go figure.

Anyway, I came across the recipe in my file and pulled it out to be sure to make it now. And with that, I also thought it's a great recipe to share with you.

Recipe was adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (I use mild, and if you buy links, remove the casings)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 16 oz. can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1-1/2 cups zucchini
• 8 ounces tortellini pasta
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a 5 quart dutch oven, brown the sausage. 
2. Remove sausage from pan and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings.
3. Saute onions and garlic in reserved drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. 
4. Bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
6. Skim fat from the soup if needed. Stir in zucchini and parsley. 
7. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
8. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. 
9. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. 
10. Enjoy with crusty Italian bread!

Have a happy day!