A while back, my parents invited us over for a weekly Soup Night at Gram & Poppy's for a three-month period. Each week my mom would introduce a new soup paired with different breads and a special dessert. The kids were all given a score card and asked to rate the soup of the week. I can't begin to tell you how much the kids looked forward to this special night at the grandparents! (So did I!) It helped us with time but most importantly, it bonded our family...over something as simple as soup.
From the perspective of our kids, there's something about trying new foods at the grandparent's house that makes it okay to venture out. Not only did our kids try every soup that was presented but they ended up loving each of Gram's creations.
This soup won the overall favorite soup award. It's packed with great vegetables and other than the Italian sausage (which could be substituted with turkey or chicken sausage) - it's a pretty healthy weekday option.
Tortellini Italian Sausage Soup
Printable Recipe
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Makes 10-12 Servings
1 (1.24 ounce) package fresh ground hot Italian Sausage (I've also used original Jimmy Dean sausage successfully)
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, chopped (any kind works here)
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (32-ounce) boxes low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce or 1 (15-ounce can) of diced tomatoes (my favorite is the fire-roasted or basil/garlic)
2-3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 6-inch stalk of fresh rosemary, stem removed or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed rosemary
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated tortellini (I've also used frozen tortellini with no problem)
Garnish: fresh chopped herbs such as rosemary or parsley, optional
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1. Combine sausage, carrots, onion, pepper and garlic and cook over medium heat until sausage is browned and crumbled. Drain well.
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2. Stir in chicken broth and tomato sauce (or tomatoes); bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add zucchini and rosemary and simmer 20 minutes.
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4. Add tortellini and simmer 5 minutes or until tender. Serve immediately with garnish, if desired.
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This soup is especially good served with Black Olive Scones. (Recipe to follow at a later post.)
