Zucchini and Sausage Tortellini Soup

So this recipe isn’t perfectly healthy, but I have to make exceptions for this soup. It’s our favorite. It’s fabulous. Right after I had my baby one of my sweet neighbors brought it over for dinner, and we were in heaven. So I got the recipe from her, but I’ve changed it to make it a bit healthier. It’s loaded with zucchini, and I love zucchini. We don’t even care that it’s the middle of the summer in Las Vegas – we’ll eat this soup anytime!

Zucchini and Sausage Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey (I used this as a substitution for 1lb ground Italian sausage)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onions
• 2 cloves glarlic, chopped
• 8 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cups water
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (I used canned petite diced)
• I cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 3-4 cups sliced zucchini (we like ours loaded with zucchini)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 lb frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini (the unhealthy part)
• grated parmesan for topping
• sea salt to taste

Brown turkey sausage and set aside. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are tender. Add turkey sausage, beef broth, water, diced tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then let simmer uncovered until carrots are mostly tender, about 20 mins. Stir in zucchini and simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the tortellini. Add the tortellini and simmer for 15-20 minutes (depending on the type of tortellini you use). I buy tortellini that’s done in about 10 minutes, but if yours needs to cook longer, add it in with the zucchini so that the zucchini doesn’t cook too long. Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.