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.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

Who doesn’t love a good broccoli cheese soup? I don’t know anybody. I’ve ordered it at restaurants since I was just a kid, but I know that it was never healthy. Sooo, hoping to create a healthier option, I threw some things together and came up with this savory soup. Not as thick and creamy as I wish it could be, but it was delicious – the boys were asking for seconds and my husband said it was fantastic (that was the word he used). I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but you could leave out the cheese and and use just vegetable broth to accommodate those diets. Enjoy! We sure did.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2-1 cup coconut milk (the one I buy has no coconut taste whatsoever)
• 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I did half of each)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2-1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 10 small red potatoes, chopped (you can use whatever potato you want. Add more or less to your liking but I like to use more so that the potatoes are used to thicken the soup).
• 4 cups broccoli
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• sea salt to taste (didn’t need much)
• 1-2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for broccoli and cheese in a pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer until veggies are almost tender. Use a hand blender in the pot to puree the vegetables into smaller pieces. Add broccoli, and cook until broccoli is tender. I used the hand blender once more to puree the veggies into finer pieces. Add cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and serve. You can add more veggies, less veggies, milk, or meat if you want to.