Sausage tortellini soup is the perfect busy weeknight dinner

The recipe recommended adding the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste right in the center of the pot and letting it cook on its own for about a minute before mixing it into the sausage and vegetables. The mixture became much richer and more tomato-forward.

I sprinkled the flour evenly over the sausage mixture and stirred until it disappeared into everything else. The recipe called for cooking it for a minute or two to remove any raw flour taste. I then poured in the white wine and used a wooden spatula to scrape up any bits that had stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is where the mixture really thickened and congealed into a delicious-smelling base for the rest of the soup.

I seasoned the mixture with more salt and pepper, and poured a bit of water into my can of crushed tomatoes to make sure every drop was added to my pot. Instead of using store-bought chicken broth, I made my own using Better Than Bouillon chicken base and boiling water. I find that it makes for a richer, more flavorful broth. The pot finally started looking like soup.

The Parmesan rind was optional, but I decided to use it. As someone who goes through a lot of Parmesan cheese, I luckily already had a nearly-used-up block in my fridge, so I just cut it down to remove the rind. I dropped it directly into the tomato broth and also added a bay leaf for extra flavor. Then, I let the soup simmer uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. As it simmered, the broth darkened and concentrated.

Once the broth had simmered, I removed the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind. Then, I added the tortellini directly to the pot and stirred in the spinach at the same time. The tortellini only needed a few minutes to become tender, and the spinach wilted almost immediately into the hot broth.

The heavy cream and grated cheese made the soup noticeably thicker. The finished soup looked creamy, hearty, and packed with tortellini. The cream made the tomato base look especially rich. It looked much more indulgent than the simple steps it took to prepare.

The cheese started melting as soon as it hit the hot soup, and added even more savory flavor to the tomato broth, while the tortellini and sausage made every spoonful feel substantial. It looked exactly like the kind of meal I would want on a cool fall night.

The tomato-and-cream base was thicker and richer than a typical broth, but still loose enough to eat by the spoonful. The tortellini and sausage also made the soup feel hearty and substantial, almost like a saucy pasta dish with extra liquid. The recipe was enough to feed four people with plenty left over, which was a bonus.

I would happily make this again for an easy weeknight dinner.