One Pot Italian Soup

I’m not a big soup maker. Really I grew up with canned soup and the occasional Vegetable Soup. However I like that soup is filling and usually easy to make. This Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup caught my eye because it reminded me of the soup you get at Olive Garden, but better. I, of course, made it even easier. I mean, really, can you see me making all those mini meat balls? No.

So, my easy version is made in twenty minutes or less in one big pot. It all starts out with the Italian sausage. Get the loose stuff, not the sausage looking stuff. I added a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking to the heavy soup pot I was using and then browned it.

While it browned I cut up an onion and a red bell pepper. I had half a green one left so I chopped that up as well. Into the pot they went to cook along with the meat. They take a while so it is a good idea to get them in before the meat is done.

When the meat looks mostly done you can add the minced garlic and let it cook for a minute on medium. Then I added the thawed frozen chopped spinach and let it warm as well.

Next came two cans of diced tomatoes. I didn’t drain them because I love that tomato flavor.

To that I added the spices. Salt and pepper, basil, some Italian seasoning, and a tiny bit of crushed red pepper flakes. Not too hot, mind you, or my picky eaters wouldn’t touch it.

I mixed it all up and then added the chicken broth. I like thicker soups, so I only added one box. It was perfect.

Last but not least is the pasta. You are supposed to use tortellini and let it all boil together until they are cooked. However I had a ton of leftover cheese ravioli from another meal so I decided to use that. Anyway, add the pasta and cook until everything is nice and hot.

Serve with some French bread for a super tasty meal everyone will love. This meal makes a lot, so it is great for company too and looks super fancy and hard even though it’s not.

 

One Pot Italian Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound loose Italian sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chopped frozen spinach, thawed

½ teaspoon basil

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cheese tortellini

Directions:

1. In a large heavy pot, brown Italian sausage in the oil.
2. While sausage cooks, add diced onion and bell peppers.
3. Cook until all ingredients are almost done then add garlic and cook for one minute on medium.
4. Add thawed chopped spinach and cook until warm.
5. Add tomatoes, without draining.
6. Stir together and then add spices.
7. Add chicken broth and stir.
8. Add tortellini and cook until heated through.

Serves 8-10