Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup with Tortellini is the perfect soup for a cold autumn or winter’s night.

Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup with Tortellini

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (casings removed)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1.5 cups sliced/diced zucchini
• 1 cup fresh spinach, cut into ribbons
• 24 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• shredded mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings.
2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, and sausage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Skim fat from soup (if needed). Stir in zucchini, spinach and parsley. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com