Sausage Tortellini Soup

Originally posted by: https://thecozycook.com/sausage-tortellini-soup/

Ingredients

1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon oregano

1 pinch cayenne, optional

1 teaspoon hot sauce

½ teaspoon mustard powder

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 cup heavy cream

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups kale, chopped

2 cups refrigerated tortellini, just under 10 oz.

Salt/ to taste

Instructions

Note: The mustard powder and hot sauce are so subtle in this soup but help enhance the other flavors, so although you may be hesitant to add them, I highly recommend it!

Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onions over medium-high heat until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.

Add basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (If your tortellini needs longer cooking time, add the tortellini first, then the kale during the last 5 minutes.)

Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Start with ¼ tsp and add more after that if needed.

Transfer to serving bowls and serve! (This is great with Garlic Bread with Cheese!)

2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds.

Hot Mama Grade: B+

Hot Mama Notes: I used 3 cups spinach as I don't care for kale. I used Louisiana hot sauce, and put 2 pinches of cayenne. I used spinach cheese tortellini by.  It was a 20 oz package, and I used short 2/3. But in hindsight, I should have put all of I the package in there!  I had no red pepper flakes. This soup is very creamy. I think I would like it better with less cream (maybe 1/2 c less), and instead add potatoes to thicken the broth. My boys liked this okay, but honestly, they probably would have liked plain tortellini just fine, too, ha! The spiced sausage is very good! A good dish, but not sure I will make it again!