Tortellini Soup

A couple of weeks ago I came home and started to cook my mother’s recipe for Tortellini Soup. It takes almost two hours and has lots of ingredients in it that most people would never think to put together, but if you have the courage to put it all in the pot you are rewarded with a fabulous and hearty soup. Because of the fresh zucchini it is great in the summer time, but I prefer to make it in the fall and winter when the oven can be on for a couple of hours and the sausage and pasta can stick to our ribs with pleasure. That day my dear husband walked into the house a half hour before it was finished and declared after a long inhale “Oooohhh! Tortellini soup!” I said that I didn’t remember telling him that I was going to make it, to which he replied “No you didn’t, but I know that wonderful smell instantly.”

Mother Molly’s Tortellini Soup

2 lbs Italian sausage links, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
Minced fresh garlic
Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups beef broth
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)
1 ½ cups carrots, thinly sliced
1 can whole tomatoes, peeled
15 oz can kidney beans, drained
6 oz. ripe (black) olives
1 cup fresh green zucchini, sliced
1 cup fresh yellow Summer Squash, sliced
16 oz cheese filled tortellini

Oven 400˚: Roast onion, garlic, sausage, and olive oil for 30 minutes in a very large heavy pot.
Turn Oven down to 325˚: add broth, 2 cups water, seasonings and carrots for 30 minutes.
(then) add tomatoes, beans, olives, and zucchini for 20 minutes.
(then) add tortellini for 5 minutes longer than package suggestion until cooked.
Makes enough to feed a small village, and is one of those recipes that just gets better over the next couple of days.

Enjoy!