Want a warm meal? Tortellini soup from Tuscany with a lemon kick is warm comfort food with a kick!
– 8 ounces Italian sausage, either mild/sweet or hot, casings removed – 1 Tbsp butter or olive oil – 1 yellow onion, chopped – 2 cloves garlic, minced – 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning – 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste) – 1/4 tsp mustard powder (more to taste) – 3 Tbs flour – 32 ounces chicken broth or stock (4 cups) – 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
– 9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini (about 3 cups.) Find it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. – 1 cup heavy cream – 3 cups finely shredded kale – 3 Tbsp marinated sun dried tomatoes, chopped – 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese – salt and fresh cracked black pepper GARNISH – Parmesan cheese
Take a Dutch oven or other large soup pot and set it over medium-low heat. Brown the sausage. As the meat cooks, break it up into small pieces. Move to a plate.
To the pan, add the garlic, onions, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and mustard powder. Keep moving the onion for a few minutes to soften it.
Do not let the garlic get brown. Add the flour and stir it in. Cook and stir for one more minute. Put the sausage back in the pan.
Add the chicken stock or broth and lemon juice. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil while stirring almost all the time.
Cook the tortelli in a few minutes, but follow the packaging instructions. One or two minutes before cooking, I add tomatoes, cream, and greens.
Raise the heat and cook for a few more minutes, until the pasta is soft and the kale has wilted. Take it off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese.
To taste, add salt or freshly ground black pepper. If you need to, add a little more lemon juice. Give it more Parmesan cheese to serve.