Carnivore Tortellini Soup

A little back story on this soup..... Every October Martinsburg hosts the

a fun-filled weekend that starts off with the coronation of Queen Pomona, followed by craft shows, pancake breakfasts, a ball, and a parade - small town living at its best.  One year, I had the honor of being the mother of one of the Apple Harvest Princesses,

but before Princess Brett, there were the parade parties at the Andersons'.  Tom and Beth live a block off the parade route.  The night before the parade, we would all drop our lawn chairs off at their house, and early Saturday morning Tom would take them over and set them up so that we all had great seats from which to watch the festivities.  After the parade we would all go back to the house and Beth would serve wonderful soups, sandwiches, snacks, sweets, and beer.  Some of my fondest memories are of those wonderful fall Saturdays.

One year Beth served Tortellini soup, and we all loved it.  We asked for the recipe and found out she got it from the back of the College Inn Chicken Broth can.  Since that weekend, I have made that soup many times, and over the years I've modified it.  The original recipe is meatless, but since I'm married to a serious carnivore... "It's not a meal unless it has meat in it"..... I've altered the recipe to create Carnivore Tortellini Soup.

1 pkg. mild Italian sausage

1 large can of chicken broth (today I used homemade chicken broth that I had in the freezer, usually I use a large can of chicken broth and a small container of chicken stock.)
1 package frozen tortellini
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped.


First, I brown the sausage and set it aside.  In the same pan, I add a little olive oil and the chopped garlic heated on medium low heat so as to not burn the garlic.  Overcooked garlic tastes bitter.  when the garlic is soft, I add the chicken stock, tomatoes, the tortellini, and half the package of spinach.  I bring everything to a slow boil and then let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

You might be wondering where the sausage is?  Well, there are some days, when meat just doesn't sound good to me.  I'm not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, but some days, meat just doesn't cut it.  Today is one of those days.  At this point, I ladled out a bowl of soup for me and two containers for lunch tomorrow and Tuesday, and left the rest on the stove.  I put half of the cooked sausage in a freezer bag to have later for spaghetti sauce of something, and the other half I put in the soup pot. I let the sausage and soup heat together for 5 minutes or so, and then dished some up for my darling carnivore.  I served the soup with cheesy breadsticks and beer, and Sunday supper was complete.

Enjoy!