Show Us Your Life - Dinner Recipes

I was looking for a recipe to cook for dinner last night. Lately, I feel like I've been in a rut. I don't feel like cooking and if I do - its the same thing over and over. So, with the weather getting cooler this week (its starting to feel like fall). I asked Darren if he would mind soup for dinner and of course - he said go for it (he could eat soup every day of his life). So, I searched www.allrecipes.com and came up with the following soup.

Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• ½ cup red wine
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• ½ tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1½ cups sliced zucchini
• 8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage.
2. Remove sausage and drain.
3. Sauté onions and garlic in drippings.
4. Stir in beef broth, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage.
5. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
6. Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
7. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

I changed it just a tad. I ran by the store and got everything on my way home and was so hungry when I got there, that I started making this right away. I didn't exactly follow the directions - after I cooked the sausage, onions and garlic, I just kind of threw everything in the pot! I mean, isn't that how soup making goes? Oh, and it was delicious. I got a little carried away and I think I added way more than what the recipe called for because I had 5 QUARTS of piping hot soup on my stove last night. I topped it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and it was wonderful. Next time, I will make sure I have a loaf of crusty bread to soak up some of that broth! Enjoy!