Minestrone Soup with Sausage and Tortellini

It's flavorful and filling. It's a meal in a pot.

It's been raining a lot in California and that's when I pull out the warming winter recipes. I recently made a big pot of minestrone soup but instead of all keeping it all veggies I added some sausage and cheese tortellini.



What you are going to need:

• Olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 to 3 medium size medium zucchini, diced
• 1 1/2 cups green beans, sliced
• 5 cups beef stock
• 4 cups water (approx)
• 1 35 oz can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground
• Outer rind of Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1 14 oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 6 ounces dried cheese tortellini
• Freshly grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano cheese

Directions: in a large soup pot, saute the whole sausage in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook them only until slightly underdone as they will cook more in the soup. Remove from the pan and set aside. Once they are fully cooled slice them.

In the same pot add the chopped onion. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the sliced carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and green beans cooking 2 to 3 minutes between each addition.


Add the beef stock, water, canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. A word about the water. Add enough to make it a fairly thin soup because later when you add the tortellini they will suck up a lot of the broth. Add the cheese rind to the center of the pot, cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours on a slow simmer.


15 minutes before serving add the sliced sausage back in, then the beans and the tortellini. Again if the soup gets too thick add a little more water. Heat this for 15 minutes or until the tortellini is done.

Serve in large bowls with freshly grated cheese on top. A nice hunk of bread with this soup and you have a very hearty meal.


I have learned after making this soup many times that adding the pasta early will make for a mushy soup as the pasta will fall apart.


Hint: When ever I have rind left from Parmesan, or other hard rind cheeses, I save it. I keep it in a Ziploc bag and use it for soups and stews or pot roasts. It adds a wonderful flavor and it is usually something that is thrown away.

This soup is very satisfying. The men in your life will love it.

Oh those potatoes!

Do these look fantastic or what?

These potatoes are outrageous! Seriously. Once you have them you will want them again. You will think about them.....daydream......you might even have a dream or two. BUT let me break the news to you, these are potatoes you have every once in awhile, not every day. They contain cream, butter, and gooey cheese. I usually serve them at Christmas with a Prime Rib roast. Every person who has had them falls in love.

The basic idea is that, using a baking dish, you are making layers. I use a mandolin to cut the potatoes so they are thin and evenly sliced. The thinness of the potatoes make for more layers, which is a good thing, and they cook faster.

The recipe:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
• 1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 to 2 cups Gruyere cheese

The amount of cheese is really a personal thing. Adding one cup gives the dish a great flavor but if you want it to be over the top adding two cups make is extra gooey and cheesy. I mean, if you are going to bother to make this and eat it, make the way you want it. Especially if you only have it once a year.

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a saute pan heat the oil and add the onions. Cook on med heat until translucent. Add the butter and cook a few minutes longer until slightly caramelized being careful not to burn. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cream. Cook a few minutes just until the cream starts to get thick and reduce. Set aside.

Grate the cheese and slice the potatoes.

Now you are ready to assemble.

I would suggest using a little cooking spray in your baking dish to make sure they don't stick terribly. Start with the potatoes and layer around the pan until they are almost half way up the dish. Pour the onion cream mixture over the layered potatoes, then half of the grated cheese. Now make another layer of potatoes until the dish is full, then top with the second half of the cheese.

Bake for 60 minutes. This dish is somewhat forgiving. You could make this ahead of time and then reheat it. I've cooked them with other things in the oven, like Prime Rib, set at a higher temp and they come out fine. As the picture above shows they can get a little crispy on top so you want to be careful the cheese does not burn. If they are getting too brown you could cover them with foil and continue to cook.

Options: you could also add a little freshly chopped rosemary, or perhaps chopped ham.

Give them a try. I hope they will become a special dish in your home. Perhaps for a special birthday or with a ham for Easter. Or with a big hunk of beef at Christmas. Enjoy!