It’s me again, once again invading the food section. I thought with all the cold air we have been experiencing and with knowing there is certainly more to come, now would be a good time to share another soup recipe.
So, I was looking for something different, yet easy to make for my family — and I remembered a tortellini soup I had not made in quite some time. It combines the feel of a hearty meal with the creamy satisfaction of soup. This is a great soup if you have family members who think of themselves as mainly carnivorous because you can choose how much meat you want to include or leave out.
There are many variations to this soup and of course, they can be found on Pinterest which as I’m sure is evident by now, is always a go-to source of recipes for me.
So before I begin, I would like to say again how much of a role fresh ingredients can play no matter the dish, but for the interest of time or not having to go on a shopping spree, you can use the jar seasonings or frozen vegitables you may have on hand.
To begin, you will need to decide if you will be using liquid chicken stock or bullion … I prefer bullion because I can decide how dominant I want that flavor to be in the final result.
That being said, let’s dive in …
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Ingredients…
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ pound of sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
2 cups sweet onion, half-inch dice
1 ½ cups carrots, half-inch dice
½ cup celery, quarter-inch dice
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 ½ quarts chicken or vegetable stock or broth
3 cups heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
¾ pound dry cheese tortellini
4 ounces baby spinach
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
I added a little garlic powder, onion powder and garlic salt and I switched the diced tomatoes with Rotel to add a little heat.
If you are wanting to make this quick and easy, you can leave out the celery and carrots, which I did, but I strongly suggest you do not exclude the onions as they really help the flavor.
Directions …
To begin, chop your onions and place them in the pot after heating the olive oil. Allow them to get almost translucent and add in the sausage.
Once the sausage is completely cooked through, add your broth or bullion and water about 3/4 of the pot full. Allow that to simmer a few minutes before continuing.
Next, I added my cream cheese and seasonings, I did not use heavy cream, because honestly, I forgot to add it to my list.
Any who…allow the cream cheese to completely melt into the mixture.
After it is mixed well, add in your spinach. I like to remove the stems for better texture, but that is not required. Allow the spinach to cook down, which usually is a matter of two to three minutes and you are ready for the last step before serving.
Now, cook your tortellini. You can either cook it in water and add it to the soup or allow the soup to get hot enough and add the tortellini straight in. I chose the latter as I think it helps them soak up more flavor….
Now all that is left to do is serve it up and enjoy. If you want more cheese, you can always sprinkle shredded parmesan on top and I like to make small crispy toast out of french bread for dipping.
JJ Melton can be reached at [email protected]. To support the Laurinburg Exchange, subscribe here: https://laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com/subscribe.