Tortellini Sausage Soup

So I was being very productive today, so thought I would whip up some homemade soup!  This was awesome!!  Ross and Luke hung out tonight - while the ladies played at Meghan's bachelorette party, and both the men said they loved it too....they must have cause there is barely any left!!  Super easy - try it out!!

Serves 6 - Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

3 links Italian sausage

4 cloves pressed garlic

1 onion, diced

½ cup water

2 cans chicken broth

½ c. apple cider (don’t leave this out!)

1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated (great way to use your food processor if you have one)
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini (check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

If you’re using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.  Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you’ll want to drain it when it’s about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.