As the weather gets colder, stew and soup season kicks off at our house. We switch from refreshing summer salads to warming dishes to help us get through those cold and wet days unscathed. This Hearty Sausage & Tortellini Soup is one of the dishes we make when we’re in a rush. A quick stop in the kitchen, and then straight to the cozy sofa with a big bowl of soup…
I imagine very few people want to spend a long time in the kitchen preparing dinner after working all day. Even if you enjoy cooking, most people are probably happy when the preparation of food does not take much time after a long day at work. Simple, quick-to-prepare dishes are perfect for times like these. After all, you don’t really want the food delivery driver at your doorsteps every day, right?
During the week, we mostly stick to simple meals that can be prepared quickly and without a lot of fuss. On Fridays, we like to treat ourselves to a delivery meal, and on weekends, there’s plenty of time to cook a proper meal with several courses – something that might take a bit longer to prepare. I imagine plenty of people feel the same way.
This Sausage & Tortellini Soup definitely falls into the »quick weeknight dinner« category. Thanks to quick-cooking tortellini and bratwurst from the refrigerated section in the supermarket, this soup is ready to eat in no time. If you work efficiently, you can have this meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. You couldn’t order a pizza from a pizza place around the corner and have it delivered faster…
There’s basically very little prep work involved for this soup. You just need to chop the onion and garlic. That’s pretty much all you have to do. Everything else is basically ready to go into the soup… Okay, you might want to pick through and wash the spinach before using it. But that’s really all there is to it. You could also buy already washed spinach…
Well. Once everything is prepped, you just need to sauté the onion, garlic, and bratwurst meat so they can develop some roasting flavors. Then, deglaze everything with chicken broth, toss in the remaining ingredients, and cook them briefly. That’s it. The soup is ready. »Ratzfatz tutto kompletti«, as my grandma would have said. I know what she said makes no sense, but who’s going to argue with Grandma, right?!
There’s really nothing more to say about the soup. If you don’t have or like bratwurst, you can simply use ground meat instead – it makes for a delicious soup, as well. If you prefer a bit more heat, try using spicy Salsiccia. Whenever we happen to have some at home, that’s our go-to choice. It just pairs perfectly with the rest! If you like it creamier, you can add a splash of heavy cream before serving the soup.
If you prefer a soup with a bit more »substance«, you should check out our Pasta e Fagioli recipe. It’s a classic Italian soup. Though, strictly speaking, it’s more like a stew. It takes a little longer to prepare, but it’s still manageable after a long Monday at the office or working from home…
One of our favorite soups, though it takes a bit more effort and isn’t quite as suitable for a quick weeknight dinner, is a simple Hungarian Goulash Soup. Just the way Grandma used to make it. It needs to simmer for quite a while, but it’s great for meal prepping and reheating. So, if you have time on the weekend, just whip up a big pot and freeze a batch for another day. It never hurts to have something ready in the freezer for days you are absolutely not in the mood for cooking.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4-5 servings)
some olive oil for frying
1 large white onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
15 oz. (400g) sausages (casings removed)
40.6 fl oz. (1,2l) chicken broth, hot (plus more, if needed)
salt, pepper
21 oz. (600g) refrigerated tortellini (e.g., filled with cheese)
3.5 oz. 100g baby spinach leaves
about 0.7 oz. (20g) Parmesan, grated (optional)
some chili flakes (optional)
(4-5 Personen)
etwas Olivenöl zum Abraten
1 große weiße Zwiebel, gewürfelt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, gewürfelt
400g Bratwürste
1,2l Hühnerbrühe, heiß (ggf. etwas mehr)
Salz, Pfeffer
600g Tortellini aus dem Kühlregal (z.B. mit Käse gefüllt)
100g Babyspinat
etwa 20g Parmesan, gerieben (optional)
etwas Chiliflocken (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Peel the onion and garlic and dice them finely. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and crumble it slightly. Set everything aside.
2. Heat a large (cast-iron) pot* with a little olive oil and sauté the onion first, then the garlic. Once both are soft and glossy, add the crumbled sausage meat and brown it for about 4-5 minutes – you want some color but do not burn the onion and garlic. Deglaze with the chicken broth and season with a little salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then add the tortellini and let them simmer in the broth according to the package instructions – the ones I used needed about 5 minutes. Add the baby spinach leaves in the last minute, cook them briefly so they can wilt. Season the soup with some more salt and pepper to your liking, then divide it among bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and/or a few chili flakes (optional).
Note: You can get more soup with a little extra chicken broth – there are enough ingredients to feed at least four people.
1. Die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und dann in kleine Würfel schneiden. Das Brät der Würste aus den Därmen lösen und etwas zerrupfen. Alles zur Seite stellen.
2. Einen großen (gusseisernen) Topf* mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen und dann zuerst die Zwiebel und danach den Knoblauch ein wenig anschwitzen. Wenn beides leicht glasig ist, das zerrupfte Bratwurstbrät dazugeben und etwa 4-5 Minuten anbraten – das Fleisch sollte etwas Farbe bekommen haben. Alles mit der Hühnerbrühe ablöschen und mit etwas Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Alles einmal aufkochen lassen, dann die Tortellini dazugeben und entsprechend der Garzeit der Packungsanleitung in der Brühe köcheln lassen – bei uns waren das etwa 5 Minuten. In der letzten Minute etwa den Babyspinat dazugeben, kurz mitkochen und zusammenfallen lassen. Die Suppe nach Belieben noch einmal mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken, dann auf Schüsseln verteilen und mit geriebenem Parmesan und/oder einigen Chiliflocken bestreuen (optional).
Hinweis: Man kann die Suppe mit etwas zusätzlicher Hühnerbrühe strecken – Einlagen sind eigentlich genug drin, um mindestens vier Personen satt zu bekommen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Hearty Sausage & Tortellini Soup
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:15
- Total Time: 00:20
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
This easy Sausage & Tortellini Soup is an absolute family favorite that can be made all year round – not only in the colder season.
Ingredients
some olive oil for frying
1 large white onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced
15 oz. (400g) sausages (casings removed)
40.6 fl oz. (1,2l) chicken broth, hot (plus more, if needed)
salt, pepper
21 oz. (600g) refrigerated tortellini (e.g., filled with cheese)
3.5 oz. 100g baby spinach leaves
about 0.7 oz. (20g) Parmesan, grated (optional)
some chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
1. Peel the onion and garlic and dice them finely. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and crumble it slightly. Set everything aside.
2. Heat a large (cast-iron) pot* with a little olive oil and sauté the onion first, then the garlic. Once both are soft and glossy, add the crumbled sausage meat and brown it for about 4-5 minutes – you want some color but do not burn the onion and garlic. Deglaze with the chicken broth and season with a little salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then add the tortellini and let them simmer in the broth according to the package instructions – the ones I used needed about 5 minutes. Add the baby spinach leaves in the last minute, cook them briefly so they can wilt. Season the soup with some more salt and pepper to your liking, then divide it among bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and/or a few chili flakes (optional).
Notes
You can get more soup with a little extra chicken broth – there are enough ingredients to feed at least four people.
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