Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

You can expect to see a lot of soup recipes from me in the next few weeks. First, it finally is starting to feel like fall here in New Mexico, which means I want to eat soup for every meal. Second, soup is fast and easy to make. And third, it's one of the only ways I can force myself to eat some vegetables once in a while! This recipe is from the Taste of Home 2009 Healthy Cooking cookbook.

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (mild)

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth

1 3/4 c. water

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 pkg. (6 oz) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. pepper

dash crushed red pepper flakes

shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Crumble sausage into soup pot; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

2. Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

*I couldn't find refrigerated tortellini at my local Wal-Mart. Not surprised. I used Barilla dried tortellini in three cheese flavor and just boiled it for a few minutes before adding it to the soup. It worked pretty well, but the pastas fell apart a little bit after I added the spinach.