We were under a winter storm warning this week. For the deep south, that is huge! The day before the event was to happen, all government offices announced they would be closed, local schools canceled classes and extracurricular activities, stores had empty shelves where the milk and bread once resided, GADOT began salting roads and bridges.
How much snow did we get? NONE! Not even one little snowflake. Meteorologists are still scrambling to explain how they could miss the forecast by that much.
It was, however, the perfect reason to make a large pot of Sausage & Tortellini soup. The kids came over to get “snowed in” with us. The fireplace was roaring, the wine was flowing, and a bowl of this soup served with crusty garlic bread made for a perfect evening with family.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound hot bulk sausage
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
32 oz. tomatoes, chopped
32 oz chicken stock
20 oz cheese tortellini
4 cups fresh spinach
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large stockpot, brown the sausage and onions. Drain if necessary. I used sausage from one of our pigs and it has little to no fat.
2. Add the garlic, carrots, tomatoes, chicken stock, and Italian seasoning. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-35 minutes.
3. Carefully place the tortellini into the simmering sauce and gently stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium and cook for the length of time shown on the package of tortellini. If there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid, add more chicken stock.
4. Add the spinach and heavy cream and cook until the spinach is wilted and the soup is gently boiling.
I had a plan for pictures. Eat first (because everyone was starving), then ladle up a bowl of soup and make tons of gorgeous pictures that this recipe deserves. Actually, my daughter was going to make all the gorgeous pictures because she is quite the photographer. This is what happened…
It was worth the lack of pictures seeing all the full bellies and satisfied faces.
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