Sausage & Tortellini Soup

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  My weekend was great, but always seems too short. 🙂  In my previous post, I talked about trying a yoga class.  Well I tried a beginner/intermediate yoga class at my gym and it was great!  I will definitely be going to a yoga class once a week now.  I felt great after and can definitely see why so many people love yoga.  Because I was feeling so great, I decided to buy some fresh whole wheat tortellini and make Sausage & Tortellini Soup.  I love this soup because it’s not heavy and since spring is here (and since I was feeling so great from yoga), I thought it was all too appropriate for the beautiful weather we’ve been having.  I love the flavors in this soup especially the addition of the fresh lemon juice – it reinforces that spring is finally here and also makes the soup taste great!  Hope you had a great weekend – what do you like to do to relax and/or feel better?

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 9 oz tortellini, fresh or frozen
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• juice of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sausages and break up with a wooden spoon.  Cook until brown.
2. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft, 5 minutes.
3. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, and oregano and stir to combine.  Add the chicken stock, wine, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
5. Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions, about 5 minutes.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.
6. Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.