Many people have shared how much they enjoyed the soup we had on Veterans Day. Since the recipe is so simple, I’ve shared it here, with my comments. Enjoy!
Ingredients to serve 6 people (It scales, if you wish to make more):
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I sometimes use bacon fat instead)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped. (Shirl Cusick is the master chopper)
1 lb. cooked link sausage, like kielbasa, cut into 1/2 thick rounds. (I opted for uncooked, ground, mild Italian sausage, and I would use hot sausage for my own soup)
3 cloves of garlic, minced. (If your garlic is already minced, you’ll need about 5 teaspoons)
1 can (28oz) crushed or ground tomatoes
6 cups Chicken broth
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I used cayenne pepper powder instead, and more than the recipe called for)
salt and pepper to taste
2 packages (9oz each) refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
1 can (15 oz) white beans (Navy, or canellini), DRAINED
5 oz (about one handful) baby spinach
shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions: In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, (about 4 minutes if using cooked, longer if using uncooked) then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, and red pepper and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add tortellini. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tortellini is cooked and flavors start to meld, 18 to 20 minutes. (Here, I taste it to see if more salt or pepper is needed). Stir in white beans and spinach and cook until spinach has wilted, 2 minutes more. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.
