Hearty Italian Sausage Soup

It has been a while since I had time to sit down and crank out a blog post, but that does not mean I haven't been busy! A couple of friends recently welcomed new babies into their families and I brought over a meal for them. This is the soup that I made for them and wanted to share with you. It is great for freezing and makes enough for more than one meal. Plus it is easy and packs in some yummy protein and not too unhealthy.


Hearty Italian Sausage Soup
1 lb Italian sausage (I use the ground kind)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Olive Oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
1 soup can of water
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 cup rotini pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
shredded mozzarella

If you want a heartier soup/stew I use 2 cans of the beans and the whole box of the pasta but keep everything the same. I have also switched out diced tomatoes for stewed because I am not a fan of tomatoes especially when they are that big

1. Brown sausage, onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan until no longer pink
2. Add chicken broth, beans, tomatoes and water and brig to a boil.
3. Stir in pasta and cook until tender. Remove from the heat.
4. Stir in spinach and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Top servings with shredded cheese.

That's it! How easy can it get! I put mine into little rubbermaid containers. That way the new family could either keep them and reuse them, or toss them out. No need to get your container back. You could go all out and make some bread and a dessert to go along with the soup and really brighten their day. It also works well to have on hand for a quick weeknight dinner, so you don't have to just give it away.

Tortellini soup

This has to be one of my favorite soups to make. It is really easy and tastes so good. Plus it is very filling!
I first had this soup several years ago at a Christmas gathering at my aunt's house. I emailed her almost as soon as I got home to get the recipe and I have been making it ever since.
Hope you enjoy!

Ronnie's Tortellini Soup
Serves 4-5

3 cups water
2 cans tomato soup
1 large package 3 cheese pre-cooked tortellini (found in the refrigerated section by the cheese normally. I ended up with "rainbow" tortellini because Target was out of my regular kind. I kind of like how colorful it made it look)
1 lb hot Italian sausage (Any Italian sausage works if you aren't a fan of the hot, or like me, have a baby eating it too)
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
1tsp oregano
2 carrots, sliced (I use baby carrots because that is what I have on hand)
1 zucchini, sliced

Brown meat and onion and drain off the extra fat.

Mix everything together in a large pot except tortellini and zucchini. Bring to a boil and let simmer until carrots are just about cooked.

Add tortellini and when they are just about cooked (they will puff up) add the zucchini.

Cook an additional 3-5 min until the zucchini is somewhat transparent. The thicker you slice your zucchini the less transparent it will get. I try to go for a thin slice, but not super thin as you can see in the picture.

Pretty easy for a yummy comforting soup. It is so thick it is almost stew like. Hope you enjoy!