Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Spinach
Sometimes a big bowl of creamy sausage and spinach tortellini soup is just what the doctor ordered…but the doctor is me and I don’t have a medical degree. I do have a strong foundation in the desire for comforting meals though, so I have some relevant credentials. This is not the kind of meal to eat when you are on a health kick but it is great for blob-o-clock, when you can’t get yourself off the couch. Drown your depression in so much creamy sausage-y tortellini soup.
Let’s pretend that you are making this dish ahead of time, before you become a stationary amorphous puddle. Maybe you want to give your future self a bit of a morale boost. Try using homemade chicken stock in this recipe, for a little extra flavor. Or serve up this creamy soup with a few slices of French bread to dunk in it. Otherwise, you have to eat the whole bowl with just a spoon, and no one wants that.
This recipe calls for just 1/2 lb of Italian sausage. You may have noticed that the grocery store mostly carries sausage in 1 lb increments. You could take that as a sign to double the recipe; leftovers of this soup are just as creamy and satisfying as the first bowl. Alternatively, save the other half of the Italian sausage for the next time you make pizza. I always pair the two dishes…because obviously.
Now pull together a pot of this creamy sausage and spinach tortellini soup, turn on the television, and allow yourself to melt into the couch. Remind yourself that some days it is ok to become one with the furniture. I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all…part of the couch.
Keep your belly full, your mind engaged, and your heart open.
Lillian
Sausage and Spinach Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1-2 tsp vegetable oil enough to lightly coat pot
- ½ lb spicy italian sausage
- 1 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt plus more to taste
- 8 oz cheese tortellini use your favorite
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a large pot.
- Add italian sausage to the pan and break it up into small pieces with a spatula.
- Cook until fully browned, then remove from pan and set aside.
- Add onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened ~5 minutes.
- Mix garlic into the pot and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir flour into the vegetables until they are well coated.
- While stirring the vegetables continuously, slowly pour chicken stock into the pot.
- Add rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Mix in cream, then continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Bring the soup up to a light boil, then add tortellini, italian sausage, and spinach to the pot.
- Stir well, then continue to cook the soup for the length of time recommended on the package or tortellini. For our favorite brand it is 7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
So flavorful and comforting!
This soup is absolutely scrumptious!