Tortellini Meatball Soup. What could be better?

Tortellini Meatball Soup

We love this soup. We are wild about this soup. We go nuts over this soup. When I serve it, I am given temporary rock star status.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks , “Mr. Sunday’s Soups”. I think it was the first recipe out of the book I tried and  it was a huge success.

As with most soups, it involves some chopping and you will probably need to find something else to use up the leftover Roasted Red Peppers (omelette, pastas etc), unless of course you decide to make another batch the next week (very possible).

Here are the ingredients you will need. I use my basil cubes instead of fresh basil.

Tortellini Meatball Soup

I hope you give this soup a try.
Karen

 

Tortellini Meatball Soup

On the Banks of Salt Creek
This recipe, which came from Lorraine Wallace's book "Mr. Sunday's Soups", is one of our favorite soups. It is very hearty and tasty.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main
Servings 6 -8

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Bulk sweet Italian sausage
  • 2/3 cup Breadcrumbs fine, plain
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Onion medium, finely chopped
  • 4 Carrots peeled, quartered, sliced about 1/3 inch thick
  • 6 Garlic cloves minced or pressed
  • 8 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 -9 ounce packages Four-Cheese Tortellini
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh Basil chopped
  • 2 Roasted Red Peppers the jarred kind (drained and chopped)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 6 cups Spinach leaves loosely packed, washed

Instructions
 

Meatballs

  • Mix the sausage and bread crumbs in a bowl. Add salt and pepper (no more than 1/4 teaspoon each. Less if your sausage is already salty). Scoop out about a tablespoon of the sausage mixture and shape into a ball. Place on a plate until all sausage is used. Put plate in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Soup

  • Using a large soup pot, place it on a burner turned to medium heat. Add olive oil through carrots and sauté until soft. Add garlic, stirring constantly for one minute. Add chicken broth and water to pot. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the meatballs, one at a time, to the simmering broth. Let cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Add the tortellini and Italian seasoning to the simmering broth. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Add the basil through lemon juice and simmer until the tortellini are tender, about 4 - 5 more minutes. Remove pot from heat, stir in the spinach. Let it stand for a couple of minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Adjust seasoning to your preference.

Notes

You can make the meatballs as large or as small as you like. I make them using my 1-tablespoon scoop and just drop them in the soup right away. If you use low-sodium chicken broth you will have a little more flexibility with the seasoning. Some Italian sausage can be saltier than others, so don't add too much salt until those meatballs go in. I use Italian sausage links and use a paring knife to cut the casing off. If you have leftovers, you will need to add more stock the next day as the tortellini soak up a lot of the stock overnight.