Sage Sausage, Mushroom, and Tortellini Soup
This is one of my favorite soups. It’s fairly straightforward to make, it’s warming but not too heavy, and it works for pretty much any time of year. I like to use chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s for this but any old Italian sausage will do. That gets sautéed up with some fresh sage until it’s brown, and then meets sliced mushrooms, some chicken stock, a whole lot of cheese tortellini, some spinach (optional, I forgot it in the above pic), and a splash of heavy cream and parmesan. The result is super flavorful bites of pasta/mushroom/sausage in a really light and broth-y soup. If you like your soup thicker, omit half a cup of stock and let it cook 5-10 extra minutes uncovered before you add the tortellini. This recipe makes servings for six and comes together in 30-40 minutes.
Ingredients
16 ounces sausage (any kind will do, I like chicken sausage)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, washed and cut into 1/4” slices
9 ounces uncooked cheese tortellini
32 ounces chicken stock
10 ounces fresh baby spinach (optional)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat your olive oil. Then add your ground sausage and chopped sage, separating into pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula and then let it cook undisturbed until browned on one side.
Stir the sausage in the pot and continue to cook until there’s no pink visible, 5-7 minutes.
Add your sliced mushrooms to the pot, stir, add a pinch of salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Cover the mushrooms and sausage with the chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once the pot is at a full boil, add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions (usually 5-7 minutes)
Add your spinach, stir to push it down, then add the heavy cream, and parmesan. Taste for seasoning, then cook for another 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!