My guess is that I like soup more than the average person. I’m not sure if this is from growing up in Carmel where our normal weather is fog, or just an innate quality of mine, but now that it’s winter you can expect to see quite a few soup recipes gracing this blog. That being said, this soup is my new fan favorite. I literally ate half of this pot on day one– I ate it for lunch, I ate it for dinner, and, had I made it earlier in the day, I would have happily eaten it for breakfast as well.
Just like parents aren’t supposed to publicize their favorite child, I’m not going to extoll the virtues of this soup too highly over my others because, yes, I love them too. BUT the kicker with this one is how the recipe starts. We pan sear the sausage in oil in the soup pot, then remove the sausage but cook all the veggies and broth in the flavor-full goodness the sausage leaves behind. This makes the most incredible tasting soup broth that I will 100% admit I drank out of my bowl at the end.
I hope you’re as excited about this one as I am!
Ingredients:
(Serves 4 | Total Time: 30 minutes)
- 9 oz preferred pre-cooked sausage (I used Trader Joe’s chicken garlic herb)
- 1 tbs and 1 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 tsp red chilli pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 5 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 carton (32 oz) low sodium chicken broth (see notes)
- 1 10 oz package of pre-cooked tortellini (I did prosciutto and cheese)
- 2 cups of baby kale (or spinach/ chard/ arugula)
- Sprinkle of salt and pepper
- Dusting of fresh parmesan
Directions:
- Prep first! Dice your garlic and chop your celery, onion, and carrots. Set aside.
- In your largest pot, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat. Slice sausage into thin circles and add to the pot. Cook till browning, stirring frequently. Set aside on a separate plate once crispy. We’re doing this first a) so our sausage is crispy in the soup and b) to infuse everything else about to cook in the pot with delicious flavor.
- Add 1 tbs oil over medium-low heat and add in your garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Add broth and turn to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, add tortellini. Cook according to instructions, for me, that was 3 minutes in boiling soup!
- Add in sausage and kale right before serving. Remove from heat and top bowls individually with fresh grated parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes:
If you’re not eating this all at once, I’d recommend adding an additional 1-2 cups of chicken broth to dilute the leftovers. As it sits, the tortellini will soak up the chicken broth so you’ll need to replenish it. Out of broth? Simply add hot water!
What am I listening to as I make this? “Ordinary Pleasure” by Toro y Moi
What can I learn while I make this? What a celery rib is! Little known fact: the entire bunch of celery is called the celery stalk, whereas an individual “stick” if you will is called a rib. The more you know!
What if I want an easy soup lunch but not this one? Don’t worry– I won’t be offended! Check out these other ideas below:
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