tortellini kale sausage soup

It's soup season!

My life is a little different these days so I don't necessarily need "travel friendly" meals like soup as much - but it is just so hard to fight the urge to make soup. When people say they don't like cooking for just one person, I feel like they haven't tried soup yet. It is just the easiest thing to put in the freezer and have again when you don't feel like cooking for one.

I found this original recipe from a food instagram account that I love to follow. Despite wanting to eat a bit healthier, I have a hard time resisting a meat based soup. They are just so filling and satisfying. I often want to try and be more vegetarian but an enticing soup like this keeps me from trying harder.

I did make a couple modifications to the original recipe to keep my life a bit easier.

• ground pork instead of Italian sausage // I absolutely hate removing sausage casing. It is the worst. So instead I grabbed some ground pork and then added additional seasoning to it (thyme, clove, nutmeg, pepper). I was really satisfied with this approach and will absolutely do this again.
• skipped the cream // I absolutely overlooked this ingredient when I was making my shopping list... but I'm not that upset about it. I don't really love cream based soups... unless its a pure tomato soup. Skipping the cream keeps the soup lighter and healthier which is a win.

Here's how it goes.

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the sausage, onions and garlic to the pot and and sauté until the onions are soft an translucent, about 5 minutes. (Drain off any excessive fat.)
3. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Whisk until tomato paste is fully incorporated.
4. Bring to a boil, season with salt then simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the kale and tortellini.
6. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the kale is wilted and the pasta is tender.
7. Serve with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired.

original recipe from the Modern Proper sourced via The Feed Feed

Shopping List

1 lb mild Italian sausage, ground
1 onion, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 quart chicken stock
1 (14 oz can) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 bunch kale, stems removed
1 (10 oz) bag tortellini