Tortellini Sausage Soup

Inspired by numerous photos on Pinterest, I decided to make tortellini soup for dinner tonight.  I used what I had on hand, started throwing stuff in the pot, and I think it turned out pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.  (And I do.)  I have no idea if it's like any of the recipes that inspired me, because I never bothered to look at the recipes.  I'm that way.  It makes my family nuts because I'm one of those "just throw it all in a pot" cooks and they want recipes.  After I made this, I looked at my empty cans and such, and decided to write this one down for future reference.  My youngest daughter really liked this, and who knows, she may want to make it someday...

Recipe is as follows:

19 ounce package of Italian turkey sausage (or whatever kind you have)

1 large onion, diced

3 large cloves of garlic

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

2 large stalks of celery with tops, diced

(3) 14.5 ounce cans lower sodium chicken broth

14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 can water

19 ounce bag of frozen tortellini

9 ounce bag of fresh spinach

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Brown sausage and drain off any fat.  Add onions and garlic to pan with sausage and cook a couple minutes.    Add carrots, celery, chicken broth, and crushed tomatoes.  This is where you add a 1/2 can of water.  Why? Because it is my nature to rinse cans as to not waste any food, so I just had to swirl some water in the tomato can and then throw that in the pot as well.  Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  (I like it spicy so I throw in a bunch of those lovely red flakes!)  Bring to a boil and simmer until carrots are tender.  (10 to 15 minutes)  Add tortellini and return pot to boiling.  Simmer tortellini in soup for 10 minutes or so.  Throw in the bag of spinach.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Just before serving, stir in the cream (or half n half or whatever you have).  

This is another on of those soups that I really don't think you could mess up.  It could be simmered much longer but my youngest was "huuunnnngry" and I needed to cook fast. I tend to cook based on what I have in the house because there is no such thing as a quick trip to the grocery store where I live.  If you have it and like it, throw it in.  Don't have it, throw in something else.  The flavors I was looking for in this soup was the sausage and the fennel.  Leave those out, and you'll just have a different soup.  It's all good!  Enjoy!