My family loves this soup. I make it with gnocchi instead of tortellini at times; which my wife can’t get enough of. During the summer, I do a lighter version of this, which is similar to something my mom used to make often.
I had planned to make this soup when it was still cold outside, but nature had better plans. Oh well, I’ll take a winter soup on a warm day, especially one with this much flavor.
So, what’s needed to make this?
Tortellini- the 1 pound packs of fresh or frozen 19 oz packs work well.
Olive oil
1 pound of Italian sausage with the casing removed
1 diced onion
1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced green bell pepper
2 diced stalks of celery
5-6 toes of minced garlic
Basil
Thyme
Oregano
Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Salt pepper garlic powder
2-4 diced carrots depending on size
3-4 tablespoons of flour
8 oz of tomato sauce
32oz of chicken stock
1-2 cups of heavy cream
Parm cheese
This is one of those times that prepping all of your vegetable beforehand really comes in handy, so get that done first. When that is done, heat up your pot, I use a Dutch oven, but a stock pot would work well also. Once the pot is hot and almost smoking ass in some olive oil and the sausage. Let the sausage dear a bit before you get to breaking it apart. The flavor from the caramelized bits will really shine through.
I also add in some of the crushed red pepper and SPG while the sausage is cooking, to get that to cook through the process.
Once the sausage is browned, remove a bit of the fat and add in the onion, peppers, celery, carrots, and all the herbs, reserving half of the parsley. Fold the vegetables in with the sausage and keep and eye on it. Once the onions are done and the carrots are soft, add in the garlic and the rest of the parsley. Let the garlic cook for about 2-3 minutes or until you can smell it.
When the garlic is cooked add in the flour and fold it all in together. When it becomes thick and pasty, add in the stock and tomatoes sauce. Mix it together well until it is all incorporated and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for a few minutes, and then drop the heat down, once it stops boiling add in the cream and mix it all together well. Raise the heat and let it slowly come to a boil. You don’t want to rush it or the cream will separate.
Once you have it starts to thicken to the consistency you like, taste it and adjust the seasoning as needed. When you have it to your liking, add in the tortellini and close the lid. Let the tortellini cook for 5-6 minutes.
When the tortellini is done cooking add in the spinach and fold it together until the spinach is cooked. Once the spinach is done it’s ready to serve in a bowl with a some parmigiana cheese on top.
This soup is really a perfect blend of creamy, spicy, sweet and savory. The sausage and cream help bring to that next level of combination of all those sensations. I prefer mine to have more spicy than sweet, so I’m a bit heavy handed on the red pepper and then add a bit more to my own bowl.