Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

This time of year has come far too quickly: the time when I’ve had a cold for two weeks and all I want to eat is soup. Speaking of which, I need some breakfast soups in my life. Is that a thing? They should be.

This soup is similar to some  other tortellini soups I’ve made, like this Spinach, Tomato and Garlic Tortellini Soup and this Tuscan Tortellini Soup, but  this one is naturally meaty.And my husband doesn’t complain!

This soup is very easy to make and you will want to make it again and again. I mean, there’s tortellini, how could that go wrong? I could live on tortellini, I  love them and they are some of the best soups!

If you  have  fresh Italian herbs on hand such as basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano or rosemary, you can use some of them in place of some of the Italian blend for a fresher taste.But since it’s fall, I chose dried herbs because that’s probably what most of you have on hand right now.

And using the Italian herb blend worked perfectly for this soup rather than listing  5 or 6 different herbs to add to the soup.

This hearty soup is  the comfort food I needed today and I can’t wait to make it again! I hope you like it too!

This Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup is  a very hearty and delicious soup!It’s packed with cheesy tortellini, nutritious kale, and flavorful chunks of herb Italian sausage. A great dinner to relax after a long, cold day!

, Prep 15 minutes

Cook 30 minutes

Ready in: 45 minutes

 Ingredients

• 16 oz Italian sausage (pork or turkey), mild or hot, casing removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (3 medium)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 9 oz refrigerated three cheese tortellini
• 2 cups chopped kale (thick ribs removed)
• Finely grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

 Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into a saucepan and brown, stirring and breaking occasionally, until cooked through.• Drain the sausage on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon of rendered fat in the pot (if there isn’t a tablespoon, just add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil to the pot).
• Add onions and carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 1minute more.

• Add beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, return the sausage to the pot, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low and  simmer until the carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add tortellini and kale, cover and cook for another 7 to 9 minutes. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese if desired (note that the tortellini will absorb more broth as the soup stands, so feel free to add more broth or water to thin it out, if desired)