Tortellini Soup

My first month of Taste and Create.  I was paired with Katie from One Little Corner of the World.   I have really enjoyed reading through her posts and getting to know her a little better through her words and pictures.  My one issue was how do you pick just one dish, out of so many, to try and recreate?  I used this as it is meant to be a cultural exchange and a learning tool. I came across a soup that sounded delicious and I don't make a lot of soups, due mostly to Byrd not really liking them.  Well she likes tomato and potato soup, but thats it.  Also I have never had tortellini soup, and what could be wrong with sausage, pasta, cheese and spinach.  NOTHING.

Here is Katie's Recipe:

Tortelinni Soup with Sausage and Spinach

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage

4-6 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb cheese tortellini

1 bag fresh spinach

1 tsp fennel

1 tsp thyme

salt and pepper to taste

3 quarts beef stock

Parmesan cheese

Slice sausage and render in stock pot. When sausage is near to finishing, add garlic, thyme and fennel. Drain grease from pan, deglaze with beef stock. Bring stock to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add tortellini to pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Serve immediately and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Now I am sure this would be great left over, but being as busy as we have been lately and with Baby Byrd due any day now I opted to cut the recipe in half.  Here is what I used.

2 links of Hot Italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. 3 cheese tortellini
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
1/2 tsp fennel
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 quarts beef stock
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesean cheese
Once the sausage was almost cooked I added the garlic, fennel, and thyme.  I let these heat through for about 2 minutes carefully stirring so I didn't burn the garlic.  The smell of all these together was enough to make you want to stop the process there and spoon it on a plate, but I continued. Then deglaze with the beef stock.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Even though I cut the recipe in half I still went the full 20 minutes.  Added the tortellini simmered for 5 minutes, then the spinach for 2.  This came together very quickly. 

Always needing a little more cheese I served this with a whole grain wheat mozzarella and Parmesean cheese toast.

I know it is late spring and at some points in the day it feels very summerish around here, but this really hit the spot. Even though this was a quick soup it had deep, rich flavors that you normally get from cooking all day. I would like to thank Katie for bringing a new soup in to my kitchen. And as for Byrd, I will let her bowl speak for her.