Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Soup

I know I have been complaining A LOT about the weather lately.....so with it being so rainy and cold, I decided to make soup!  This Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Soup really hit the spot.  Warm, satisfying, flavorful and delicious!  The original recipe can be found at Allrecipes.com.  

It made for a quick weeknight meal paired with some crusty bread.   The convenience of store bought precooked chicken sausage ( such as any of the Trader Joe's varieties or, as I used here, ones purchased from Costco) that are 3 points+ per link and refrigerated cheese tortellini make preparation a snap.  Try to look for reduced sodium broth and canned tomatoes to keep sodium levels in check. 

I threw in a handful of fresh green beans I had left over in the fridge...but I am going to post the recipe without the addition of the beans, as I don't think they made an impact on taste in the final product.  

 

Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Soup

adapted from a recipe found on Allrecipes.com

Printable Recipe

Servings - 10   Serving Size - 1/10th of recipe ( approx. 2 cups each)    Points Plus per Serving - 7 points+

Calories - 283.6,   Total Fat - 9.8g,   Carb. - 29g,   Protein - 16.9g,   Fiber - 1.4g

1 (16 oz. ) package of FULLY COOKED chicken sausage, any flavor, sliced ( that are 3 points+ per serving)

1 TBS. olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced ( you could use less if you like ) 

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup white wine

2  ( 32 oz. ) boxes of low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 (20 oz.) package of refrigerated cheese tortellini ( I used Buitoni )

1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil

3 cups of organic baby spinach, rough chopped

juice of half a lemon

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1.  In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil over med heat.  Add the garlic and onion and saute until onion is soft and garlic is fragrant ( approx 5 minutes). 

2.  Stir in wine and broth and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer, and add in the tortellini and the sliced sausages.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the tortellini is cooked.  Add in the canned tomatoes and their juices and the spinach.  Stir to combine.  Simmer until the spinach is wilted, about another 5 minutes.  Finish with the lemon juice and fresh ground pepper.  You may or may not want to add any salt at this point.  Taste first.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

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It seems odd to me to be making and talking soup this far into spring...but this spring has been anything but normal this year!  If my husband had his way, I would be making soup weekly year round!  He is a major soup lover!  I got no complaints from him yesterday...lol 

The sun made a brief, but extremely welcome, presence this afternoon.  According to the weather ppl, one more day of this rainy stuff, and we are in for a nice weekend.  It's a bit warmer out today as well!  Looking forward to that for sure!

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Tasty Tuesdays @ 33 Shades of Green