Welcome back readers and Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday spent with loved ones, enjoying traditions and relaxing. My personal favorite part of the holiday season is cooking, baking, and then, of course, eating delicious food! However, as the season comes to a close, my body begs me to cool it on the butter and sugar and it screams for something lighter and healthier.

My tortellini soup is packed with vegetables and is exactly what the body craves after a month of indulgence. It is the perfect cozy and simple dinner for a cold winter day.

The best part of this soup is it becomes more flavorful the longer it simmers. So, put it on the stove whenever is convenient and let it simmer throughout the day.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium sized sweet onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Start by washing and cutting all the vegetables, this will make the cooking process much smoother. Mince garlic, sweet onion, and parsley. Peel carrots. Chop carrots and zucchini into bite size pieces. *TIP: keep each vegetable in a separate bowel as they will all be added to the pot at separate times. I also recommend thinly slicing your carrots when you cut them so they soften faster.
2. Add olive oil to a large stock pot over medium heat, add minced sweet onion and cook till soft and translucent (roughly 3 minutes).
3. Once onion is translucent, add sausage to the stock pot. Break meat up with spatula. As it cooks, add minced garlic. Cook until pork is brown and crumbly. If there is an excess amount of grease, you can remove it with a paper towel.
4. Pour in chicken stock, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, water, chopped carrots, and oregano. Mix well to combine.
5. Bring soup to a boil.
6. Once soup reaches a boil, turn down the heat and allow soup to simmer for at least 30 minutes.
7. As soup is simmering, add your chopped zucchini and fresh parsley.
8. The soup can sit covered on simmer for as long as you like, but leave it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
9. As you approach dinner, turn heat to medium low and add tortellini. Cook till soft (roughly 10-15 minutes).
10. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments. One of my favorite parts of trying a new recipe, is making it my own each time I cook it. Please share if you find ways to individualize this recipe!

Till next time, xoxo