The Joy of Soup

As we struggled through another early release day and another no school notification due to inclement weather this week, I found myself perusing through soup recipes as a way to warm our weary winter bones. I love soup. Creamy soups. Hearty soups. Chilled soups. Vegetable soups. Bisques. Chowders. Leftover creation soup. One of my favorite combinations since childhood is creamy tomato soup with a buttery, crunchy grilled cheese sandwich. Tearing off the browned crust and dunking into my steaming mug of slightly tangy soup is a mouthful of culinary yumminess. I am already defrosting. 
Today, I thought I would share another family favorite: Sausage-Tortellini Soup. I discovered this recipe in a January 1999 Southern Living magazine back when I could lounge over recipe articles, explore new creations in the kitchen and place in front of someone who would joyfully eat the meal instead of listing the reasons why the food is not taste  worthy. Sigh. But, the beauty of this recipe is even our children will eat this soup without complaint and "there are vegetables floating in there"! It's a joyful moment when your children say, "Oh, I love this dinner, Mommy!" when the aroma of browning mixture of onions, garlic and sausage hit their delicate noses. And there is something comforting about a large pot of hearty soup on the stove when the weather outside is growling, banging and hammering to seep into your skin and latch onto your bones. So, Old Man Winter, who has overstayed his welcome this year, I hope this recipe sends your bags packing and we start to see Spring peeking through the snow, ice and muck that has covered yard this season. 

Sausage-Tortellini Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 (14.5 ounce) cans beef broth
2 (14.4 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, untrained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup dry red wine
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerates cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Discard sausage casings. Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Return mixture to pan. Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes. Skim off fat. Stir in zucchini and tortellini: simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.
Yield: 10 cups. Peer: 25 minutes. Cook: 46 minutes
Recipe noted to Louise Bodziony from Gladstone, Missouri

Note: I use sweet sausage when making for the children and spicy sausage when we want to kick it up a notch. Serve with crusty French bread and the remainder of the red wine for a lovely, evening meal. Enjoy!