One-Pot Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage

Happy Thursday!  Welcome all!  Prayers to those that need them.  Today I'm sharing a recipe that is great for an easy quick and somewhat healthy dinner!  Kids even like it.  It come from the Betty Crocker website (love that place).  Of course the recipe comes with brand names but there is no need to use them.  Hope it works well for you too!

One-Pot Cheesy Tortellini and Sausage

1 lb cooked pork sausage, sliced

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 jar (25.5 oz) Muir Glen organic pasta sauce tomato basil

1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup Progresso chicken broth

20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped (*see note below)

In 12" skillet, cook sliced sausage, onion and garlic 5-7 minutes or until onion softens and sausage starts to brown.

Stir in sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth and tortellini.  Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini is cooked.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese and basil.  Serve when cheese has melted.

*My Asylum prefers I don't add large amounts of fresh basil in anything so I simply added some dry to the mix for flavor.  Worked out great!

Sausage-Tortellini Soup

Happy Tuesday!  You know typing that made me laugh because it dawned on me that I text the same thing to my Sister everyday LOL.  I guess all of our Asylum's together make a wonderful, big family! :D.  So, still early in the week I know but we have made it past Monday so we are doing great!

I was looking through my copy of "the best of Southern Living" searching for soup recipes since Dad had asked if we could have some since it's perfect weather for it.  This is one of the ones I found and made it Sunday to bring to Mom and Dad on Monday.  Dude, it was so good.  Thank heavens it made so much.  I was really just making it to take over there for them to have for a couple of days.  The recipe makes a lot!  So we were able to have it for dinner too and man were we glad of that.  Nothing real difficult about the recipe either, just a little bit time consuming.  Well worth it in my opinion.  The whole "zucchini" thing I find pretty weird for soup and odd for this soup. But it tastes great and bumps up your veggie intake for the day!

Hope you all enjoy, see you on Thursday!

Sausage-Tortellini Soup

Makes 10 Servings

Prep:  25 minutes  Cook:  50 minutes

1 pound Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 (14.5 oz) cans beef broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 Cup dry red wine (I used an extra cup of beef broth)
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 (9 oz) package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1.  Remove and discard sausage casings.  Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.

2.  Return mixture to pan.  Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes.  Skim off fat.

3.  Stir in zucchini and tortellini;  simmer 10 minutes.  To serve, ladle into bowls; sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Found in "the best of Southern Living" printed by Oxmoor House