Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 16 oz mild or hot italian sausage, pork or turkey, removed from casings
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 9 oz refrigerated three cheese tortellini
• 2 cups packed chopped kale, thick ribs removed
• Finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving, optional

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot set over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it into the pot, and cook until no pink remains, stirring now and then and breaking it into smaller pieces as it browns.
2. Transfer the sausage to a plate padded with several layers of paper towels, leaving 1 Tbsp of the rendered fat in the pot. If the pot does not have 1 Tbsp of drippings, pour in 1 more Tbsp olive oil.
3. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Pour in the beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning, then add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the sausage back to the pot, cover, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the tortellini and kale. Cover again and continue cooking for 7 – 9 minutes longer. Serve warm, adding parmesan cheese if you like. As the soup stands, the tortellini will take up more of the broth, so thin it with additional broth or water as desired.