Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Here comes 2017 and I honestly cannot be more excited.  And whether you like it or not the new year is going to bring Ch-ch-changes!  Some are worrisome, some are a long time in coming and hopefully some of them are going to surprise us in good and productive ways. I’m going to share you with you a few changes I’m going to be making and it starts with Sausage and Tortellini Soup.  

So changes and soup, how exactly do these go together?  Yes, seemingly random, but welcome to my mind (don’t worry, it frightens me too).

It all started this summer with my friend Emily.  She is very persuasive and she was able to guilt me into going to the gym.  I am an all or nothing kind of a girl, and although I have definitely gone through my gym rat phases (like those triathlons in 2013), I am currently in a “too busy for all of that” frame of mind.  I won’t lie, the gym is a place I should be spending much more time at, but a place I do not enjoy.  (So thank you Emily, you are a good friend for encouraging me despite my whining!)

We were going a few times a week, both to a body pump class as well as spending time on the treadmill.  I had no real “goal” but I was enjoying feeling maybe a tiny bit more healthy.  And then I got pneumonia and I went down like a pile of bricks.  I could barely get off of the couch let alone haul myself to the gym.

Emily has kept going and has continued encouraging me to return.  I’m still not totally back to healthy so we’ve been walking on a treadmill, chatting and at least moving.  On one of our “walks” Emily mentioned a recipe that she was going to be trying that night and it caught my interest.  Sausage and Tortellini Soup. Originally a recipe found on Emily Bites, (no, this is no relation to my friend Emily, although I’m quite sure I would be friends with Emily of Emily Bites if I knew her!) this is a savory, spicy, hearty soup that is perfect for the dregs of January.

Whew, we got there…Sausage and Tortellini Soup and changes.  If you’re still with me and awake, here are a few of the changes I hope to see in my own life in 2017.  Emily, I will try really hard to schedule at least one gym day a week with you-and yes, I must get back to body pump.  I’m also going to try to get more organized (my house, my job, my kids, the blog).  I am going to try and embrace the unknowns of this year.  And above all, I’m going to try to eat more soup!

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Sausage and Tortellini Soup

This is a spicy, savory soup that is guaranteed to fill you up and warm you from the inside out! If you are feeding kids or adults that are spice averse-leave out the crushed red pepper and consider substituting mild Italian sausage.

Course Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Lane adapted from Emily Bites

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 pound raw hot Italian pork sausage
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 ounces Neufchatel cheese cubed
• 2 9 ounce packages of cheese tortellini
• 2 cups fresh spinach torn into pieces

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a 5 quart (or larger) dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and sauté until soft, approximately 4 minutes.
3. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute.
4. Add the sausage, and cook until no pink remains and sausage is fully broken up.
5. Turn the heat to high and add the broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
6. Bring soup to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Add Neufchatel cheese, stirring until cheese has dissolved.
8. Add spinach and tortellini, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.
9. Check to ensure tortellini is fully cooked, if it is, ladle into bowls and serve.

The original recipe can be found here!