Our Favorite Soup Recipe - Creamy Tortellini Soup

Isn’t it funny how traditions begin? The best ones seem to happen without much effort. That’s the story behind our Christmas Eve supper. One year, I made a Tortellini Soup that the kids loved, though I felt it needed something more. After a bit of trial and error, we found the recipe—and it’s become a Christmas Eve staple ever since. Here you go…don’t be scared off by the list of ingredients!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

• 1 lb. Italian ground sausage

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 2 carrots, peeled & sliced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste

• 1/2 c white wine

• 1/2 c flour

• 6-1/2 cups chicken broth

• 14 oz cheese tortellini (Aldi’s carries a good option)

• 2 cups half and half

• Handful of Bacon Farms Spinach

Cook & break up the sausage in a large stock pot until fully cooked. Add the onion, celery & carrots and saute until the vegetables are softened. Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic & tomato paste and combine. Add the white wine. Next, stir in the flour and let it “cook” briefly. It will be sticky and dry—no worries, just keep moving on to the next step. Very important: slowly pour in the broth, scraping up all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Get as much as you can—this step is the difference between good soup and amazing soup! Simmer the soup 10-15 minutes. Toss in the tortellini & cook 7 minutes until just softened.

(Sometimes I’ll make the soup up to this point earlier in the day and let it sit off the heat. Letting it rest really allows the flavors to meld, making it even better—better yet, you can make it a day ahead.)

To finish, add the half-and-half and heat gently without simmering. Stir in the spinach at the end and let it wilt. Serve, and enjoy the inevitable “ooo’s and aaahh’s”!