Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Can you believe it's National Soup Day?! I mean, what a perfect time of year to cozy up with a steaming bowl of the most delicious soup you've ever had. 

Yep, I totally went there. 

This soup quickly became one of our favorites last year. I think I even got my sister-in-law hooked on it, too, when we stayed with them. It's all kinds of creamy, with zesty sausage, soft carrots, hearty spinach, and the most dreamy tortellini in each bite. This soup is one you'll make over and over again, and you'll probably kick yourself wondering why you never tried it in the first place! Let's dive right in! 

The weather outside this year in Utah has been pretty intense. We've had the most snow since I can remember, and there's no sign of it letting up before the usual late-Spring snow-showers. I love to go outside with my boys and play as much as we can in the snow. It tires them out for a nap later on, builds good memories, gets in some exercise, and builds up an appetite for hot chocolate and yummy soups like this one! 

Another reason I'm in love with this soup is that it comes together in less than 20 minutes. 

Yep. That's right! 

You start off with browning the sausage - make sure it's actually a little toasty. Cooking it until it's almost all browned is good, but you'll taste the difference when it's a little bit toasted, too. Drain as much as you can, but reserve a little bit of the grease for the onions and garlic. This will add TONS of flavor, but if you're anti-grease, well, then maybe you shouldn't be making sausage in the first place. hah! But really, keep the little bit of grease in there. You'll thank me later. 

Cook it up until the onions are translucent, then add in the flour. One trick I've learned is that when you add in the flour, if you let it cook until it's a little toasted (noticing a theme here, today? haha), there will be more flavor vs. just adding in the flour and then the liquids right after. Less like chalk, and more like awesome soup with that flour addition. Just sayin'. 

Next, add in the chicken stock. I love using stock vs. using broth. I feel like it has way more flavor. 

Add in the carrots - I usually shred my carrots with a cheese grater for soup. It's much less work than chopping them, and the carrots cook much faster when they're shredded vs. chopped. Plus, I think it looks pretty! 

Next, cook the tortellini in a separate small pot. I know you can easily cook it right in the soup here, and sometimes I totally do, but what I've noticed is that sometimes the tortellini keeps cooking, and cooking, and cooking, and eventually you have soggy giant tortellini with zero cheese in it anymore. Not much fun, I say. So I cook my pasta, and in this case tortellini, separately then add it in later. 

 Toss in the cooked tortellini, drained sausage,  and a heaping handful of spinach. It's going to look like a ton of spinach, but when it cooks down, you'll notice just how much more you'll probably want to add in (and totally can add in!). The deep green is gorgeous against the creamy light soup broth and tortellini. You can easily add in any other veggies like zucchini, corn, squash, etc, to make it fit with your taste. 

Hope you enjoy this soup and find a way to celebrate National Soup Day today! 

Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup

makes 6 servings

ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground Italian sausage (can be mild or hot)

1 medium white onion, diced

2 large carrots, grated 

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

6 cups chicken stock 

1 (10oz) package refrigerated cheese tortellini 

1 large handful of baby spinach

2 cups milk

salt and pepper

method:

1. In a large soup pot, brown sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through completely. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside to drain. Keep about 1-2 Tablespoons of grease in the pan. 

2. Stir in onions and carrots and saute for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add in the garlic and saute for about another minute. Stir in the flour until it covers all the veggies and browns just a teeny bit. 

3. Slowly add in the chicken stock, stirring after adding it a little at a time. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes. 

4. In a separate small pot, bring tortellini in water to a boil for 30 seconds, then drain. Add to the soup. 

5. Add in sausage, spinach, and milk, simmer about 2 minutes, add in salt and pepper, then serve! 

Recipe adapted from: Gimme Some Oven 

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And there's MORE where that came from!

This year, once a month, I'll be sharing one recipe with a few of my favorite blogger friends to celebrate Foodie Holidays. Be sure to check out their amazing soup recipes too, to celebrate NATIONAL SOUP DAY! 

Don't forget to check out these 12 AMAZING BRAND NEW SOUP recipes! 

Turkey Meatball Pho, Foodie with Family 

Slow Cooker Chili with Dried Pinto Beans and Sausage, 365 Days of Slow Cooking 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Creations by Kara 

Italian Spinach and Orzo Soup, Real Mom Kitchen 

Vegan Cheeseburger Soup, Namely Marly

Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup, Baking with Blondie 😀

Broccoli Cheese Soup, Yellow Bliss Road 

Curried Chicken Noodle Soup, Life Made Simple 

Bacon Clam Chowder, The Baker Upstairs 

Brunswick Stew, Hey Grill Hey

Loaded Baked Potato Soup, Ashlee Marie 

Cheesy Lasagna Soup, Gather for Bread 

And don't forget to check out these 15+ more delicious soups to celebrate the foodie holiday!

Slow Cooker Corn Rice Salsa Chicken Soup - 365 Days of Slow Cooking

Slow Cooker Creamy Cauliflower Broccoli Soup  - 365 Days of Slow Cooking 

Wild Rice Ham Soup - Creations by Kara 

Smokey Corn Chowder - Creations by Kara 

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder - Life Made Simple

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup - Life Made Simple 

Speedy Vegetable Soup - Real Mom Kitchen

Beefy Tomato Soup - Real Mom Kitchen 

Vegan Minestrone - Namely Marly

Easy Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup - Namely Marly 

Tortellini Chicken Noodle Soup - Baking with Blondie 

Turkey Sausage Tortellini Chili - Baking with Blondie 

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup - The Baker Upstairs 

Hearty Corn Chowder - The Baker Upstairs 

Smokin' Hot Chili - Hey Grill, Hey

Chicken Corn Soup - Gather for Bread

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup - Ashlee Marie

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup - Ashlee Marie