Let’s talk bout my newly discovered love for chicken sausage. Weird, I know, but stay with me. I work right around the corner from a Trader Joes, and a few weeks ago I discovered their Italian style chicken sausage, and it was love. They’re a super quick option for adding some good and tasty protein when I’m making pasta, or a skillet of veggies. I’ve also been trying some other brands then the one sold at TJs, and most are pretty good, but so far the one I found there is my favorite. 

Now lets talk about soup, as I am even more obsessed with soup. Now that the northeast is really getting cold, I basically could eat soup for every meal and be totally fine with it. So when I decided to try my hand at a new type of soup the other day, I could help myself but to go ahead and throw some Chicken Sausage in there too. This soup is seriously so delicious. It’s a perfect winter soup to cozy up with, and just a little cup can easily fill you up! 

Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Soup

(adapted from Yellow Bliss Road)

• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup of Diced Onion
• 2 Large Iitalian-style Chicken Sausage Links*  – Browned, and cut into smaller pieces
• 1 – 28oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 – 32oz Box of Vegetable Broth
• 2 Tablespoons of chopped Basil
• 1 Package of Tortellini 
• 1 Cup of Fresh, Chopped Spinach

Heat a large pot with olive oil over medium heat, add onion and saute until soft. Add in sausage, crushed tomatoes, broth, and basil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add in tortellini and spinach, and let simmer for 10 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Serve with Parmesan and some good, thick bread!

Notes

• You can use regular pork sausage instead, if you prefer
• When I don’t have basil on hand I’ll use oregano instead. It’s a different flavor, but also really good!
• You can add in veggies to this too. I often with throw Zucchini in with the onions to soften a bit before adding the rest