What's for Dinner? Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup

Whoever first thought of putting tortellini into a soup - from the bottom of my heart, thank you. What an amazing idea that was. My version started as a Costco recipe that I've tweaked over the years to fit my personal preferences. This Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup is one of my favorite soups to make (never mind that I say that about every soup I post).

Cold weather calls for a bowl of my Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup.

The soup starts with crumbled Italian sausage, browned onion and fennel for amazing flavor, a pinch of spice, and a bag of spinach stirred in at the end. Lots of recipes call for kale, but I prefer spinach. It wilts into the soup far more quickly and is actually more nutritious than kale. Surprise!




The fennel really is the star of the show in this soup. It adds amazing flavor to the broth. So, so good. Just make sure you cut out the heart and the ferny greens coming out of the top. I didn't know how to treat fennel before this soup came into my life. Now, I'm a fennel pro.




Start your soup by browning a pound of Italian sausage.




Remove the sausage and throw in some chopped onion and that amazing fennel. You want to cook the veggies until they start to turn brown. Those brown bits are where all the fabulous flavor in your soup will come from.




After the onions and fennel are nice and browned, throw in the garlic and cook for another minute. Then, add in the seasonings, the cooked sausage, the broth, and the beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.




Add the tortellini and simmer another 5 to 7 minutes until the pasta is cooked. The cooked tortellini will float to the top when they're done.

Lastly, Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.

Noth'n like a big ol' pot of Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup on a cold winter's evening.

I like to grate a little parmesan over my bowls and serve with crusty bread. In a pinch I make a quick garlic toast by toasting up whatever bread I have, slathering it with butter, and sprinkling generously with garlic powder.

Sausage, Spinach, and Fennel Tortellini Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped small
1 fennel bulb, chopped small
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 can cannellini beans, drained
12 cups chicken broth
1 9 to 12 oz package cheese or spinach tortellini
1 7 oz bag spinach
shredded parmesan for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven or stock pot and brown sausage. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon. Drain any excess grease.
2. Add another Tbsp of olive oil, if necessary, and cook onion and fennel until they start to brown.
3. Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add in cannellini beans, seasonings, sausage, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
5. Stir in tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, or so, until pasta is cooked.
6. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted.
7. Ladle into bowls and top each one with shredded parmesan.