Sausage Tortellini Soup

This lighter take on hearty sausage soups is cozy with chicken sausage, delicate tortellini, fennel, and fresh or frozen vegetables.

Original recipe source

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for cooking
• 16 ounces chicken sausage fully cooked, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 fennel large, bulb coarsely chopped, stalks sliced, fronds chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 0 salt to taste
• 0 black pepper to taste
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 10 ounces tortellini fresh or frozen cheese, spinach, or mushroom
• 2 cups mixed vegetables such as snap or snow peas, green beans, asparagus, kale, spinach, or escarole
• 0.25 cups fennel fronds chopped
• 0 Parmesan cheese grated, for serving
• 0 black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high.
2. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned and crisp all over, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the chopped fennel bulb and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, scraping up the browned bits as you go, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. In the last three minutes of the tortellini cooking, add the chopped vegetables and up to ½ cup sliced fennel stalks.
6. Remove from heat and stir in up to ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds. Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan and more black pepper.