Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

I made up this recipe one night about a month ago when I was in the mood for some tortellini soup, but I had never made it before, so I decided I'd make it the way I thought it would be made from past experiences in eating it at restaurants... I'm not sure if this is authentic or not, but it turned out very good and I was surprised at how well all the flavours melded together. I used fresh herbs out of my garden and tortellini I had made the previous day, although you could use frozen or fresh tortellini from the supermarket.

1 lbs. Italian sausage, or mild turkey Italian sausage (I used the turkey sausage)
3 tbsp. Olive oil
1 carrot, diced
6 basil leaves, chopped
3 sage leaves, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 onion, pureed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, half the can pureed with onions
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 14 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup red wine
7 cups beef broth
4 cups fresh cheese tortellini
Fresh Romano cheese for garnish


In a large saucepan, coat the bottom with the olive oil over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chopped basil, sage, and Italian seasoning and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the Italian sausage and garlic, and cook until sausage is browned.

Add the pureed tomato and onion mixture along with the other half can of diced tomatoes and the can of tomato paste. Stir; add the red wine, beef broth, salt, and garbanzo beans.

Simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Bring soup to medium heat and when a soft boil emerges, add the tortellini and cook according to the packaged directions.

When the tortellini is cooked, dish and sprinkle with Romano cheese and serve.

Serves 8