Rustic Italian Soup

Time :40 minutes
Yield :6 servings

The Scoop

Rustic Italian Soup tastes like comfort food in a bowl but with a Mediterranean attitude and lots of Italian hand gestures.
This one is pure main character energy. And if you're looking to impress, it makes your kitchen feel like it has been cooking all day, even though it hasn’t.  If people say it tastes like comfort in a bowl, correct them. Rustic Italian Soup tastes like comfort food in a bowl but with a Mediterranean attitude and lots of Italian hand gesturesChef’s kiss and all. 
Hack it:
Use vegetable broth for a more aromatic version of the soup.
Add cream: if you are feeling extra, add half a cup of cream to the soup and simmer for a few minutes.
Don’t have spinach? You can use kale instead.
Don’t feel like sausages? Use ground turkey and season it a bit more for added flavor.
Leftovers:
The soup will thicken as the pasta absorbs the water. Add a splash of broth to reheat gently.
Top with grated parmesan again to freshen it up!
Add sautéed vegetables and more broth to stretch the leftovers into a light meal.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (14.5-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini or pasta shells
  • 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons fresh basil, minced or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
  • parmesan cheese, optional, shredded, and to taste

Directions

  • In a Dutch oven, add the sausage and the onion, crumbling the sausage.
  • Over medium heat, cook the sausage, while stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic to the cooked sausage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Stir the broth, the water, and the tomatoes into the sausage mixture and bring to a boil.
  • Add the tortellini to the broth mixture.
  • Return the broth mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are almost tender.
  • Reduce the heat to low-medium.
  • Add the spinach, the basil, the pepper, and the red pepper flakes to the broth mixture.
  • Cook the soup until the spinach is wilted and the tortellini are tender, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Serve with the cheese.
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