Sausage Tortellini Soup

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I created this recipe for a teachers luncheon and it was all the rave. I had to share the recipe with quite a few people right away. It’s a perfect crowd-pleaser and so so good on those cold winter nights.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 large zucchini, sliced (I went with half moon shapes)
• 8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta (get tri for extra color to your dish)
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Brown sausage in a large pot (I like breaking it up in to tiny pieces as I cook kind of like ground beef). Remove sausage and set aside in a bowl.
2. Using the sausage drippings sauté onions and garlic. Add a little olive oil if need be. Stir in beef broth, , wine, bay leaf, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, cumin, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 20 minutes.
4. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. (The pork and fresh herbs contain a ton of flavor so you really won’t need much if any at all).
5. Add tortellini and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread and eat. YUM!