Description

This Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup is quick and easy to make, full of great flavor, and so rich and creamy and comforting.

Ingredients

Scale

1.25 pounds ground Italian sausage
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white-whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
6 cups chicken stock
1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
5 ounces greens of your choice (I used a mixture of spinach, collards and baby kale)
2 cups milk (*see recommendations below)
salt and pepper

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Instructions

Cook Italian sausage in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until browned, crumbling it as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate and set aside.** Reserve two tablespoons of grease in the pan, discarding the rest. (Or if there’s not that much grease remaining, add olive oil to make up the difference.)
Stir in onions and carrots, and saute for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour until it’s evenly coating the veggies, and cook for an additional 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
Gradually add in the chicken stock, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cooked sausage, tortellini, spinach, and milk, and continue simmering for 4-5 minutes, or until the tortellini is al dente.
Taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (I added in about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.)
Serve immediately. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.***

Notes

*I used low-fat milk in this recipe, but you’re welcome to sub in some half and half or heavy cream (for all, or part of the 2 cups of milk) if you’d like an even creamier soup. :)

**If you’d like a less-greasy soup, you’re also welcome to transfer the cooked sausage to a colander and briefly rinse the sausage with water to drain off any extra grease. Then, just use oil in place of the grease to cook the onions, etc.

***If the soup soaks up most of the broth in the refrigerator, feel free to stir in a little extra chicken stock when you reheat it.