Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini Soup

One pot meals - how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Less dishes, easy, and done in a flash. This Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini soup is like a blanket for your belly. It’s comforting, requires few ingredients, and makes great leftovers. I have made this recipe using both link and ground Italian sausage. Both result in a yummy soup with a kick of spice and a healthy dose of kale. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. hot Italian sausage links

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce

• 4 cups low sodium chicken or beef broth

• 1 tbsp Roasted Chicken Better than Bouillon (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups dried 3 cheese tortellini

• 4 cups curly kale, stems removed and finely chopped

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/3 cup heavy cream

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. In a large dutch oven, sear hot Italian sausage in 1 tbsp. of olive oil for 3 minutes per side or until browned. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.

2. Add chopped onion to the pot with a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes

3. Add garlic to pot and sauté for 1 minute

4. Add tomato paste to pot and sauté for 2 minutes

5. Add the tomato sauce, broth, and bouillon paste to pot, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Add the sausage back to the pot and cook covered for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, transfer the cooked sausage to a plate and set aside. Once cooled, slice the sausage into 1/2 inch rounds.

6. Return the heat to medium and add the dried tortellini to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the chopped kale and cook for 5 minutes more. Return the sliced sausage to the pot.

7. Add the red wine vinegar to the pot and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper as needed.

8. Turn the heat off and add the heavy cream. Taste once again for seasoning.

9. Serve in a big bowl with a piece of crusty bread.

Cook's Notes

• You can use fresh tortellini. It will require less cooking time based on package instructions.

• If you don't have red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar will work.

• If you don't have Better than Bouillon, you can leave it out. You may need to add more salt at the end based on your personal preference. I rarely have to add salt at the end if I use the bouillon paste.