This easy tortellini soup with sausage and fennel is the perfect companion for the cold weather. Rich, aromatic, with just the right amount of heat, this soup is going to be a new favorite.
If you are a fan of tortellini, you’re going to simply love this simple and easy tortellini soup with sausage and fennel.
How to Make Easy Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Fennel:
For this tortellini soup with sausage and fennel, you will start by sautéing aromatics. Starting with onions, fennel, and carrots, you will want to cook them over moderate heat until they begin to char and turn golden brown. in places.
After that, you’ll add the sausage and cook until the fat renders and the sausage is completely cooked through. Continue cooking until a golden crust forms over the sausage crumbles.
When looking for a fennel bulb, try to find a large bulb that has stalks and leafy fronds. The stalks can be thinly sliced and fried up. The leafy fronds make an excellent garnish on the soup, with just a bit of anise flavor.
If your fennel bulb has tons of fronds, pick them off and reserve them for another recipe. You can use them in salads or in pasta. You can also mince the fronds and use them in a vinaigrette!
You will simply love this soup – it’s rich, hearty, spicy, and really perfect for a cool, rainy night. Or any night if you love tortellini as much as I do!
Looking for more soup recipes? Check my archives!
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Easy Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Fennel
Equipment
- Soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 1 fennel bulb with stems and fronds
- 4 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 5 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 pound loose hot or sweet Italian sausage
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes fire roasted, preferred
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- Crushed red pepper to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces fresh tortellini
- Extra virgin olive oil optional, for serving
Instructions
Prepare Fennel:
- Cut the core from a fennel bulb and discard. Slice the bulb into thin wedges. Dice the stalks. Reserve fronds.
Prepare the Soup:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a soup pot. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add fennel bulb wedges and diced stalks along with the diced carrots and cook for 5 more minutes until beginning to soften.
- Crumble the loose sausage into the pot and cook, stirring regularly, for 10-12 minutes until well browned and cooked through. Add the potatoes. Season everything with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the can of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Season with garlic powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, dry thyme. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Prepare Cream Base:
- Scoop out 1 cup of the soup liquid and add 1/2 cup heavy cream. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Cook the Tortellini:
- Bring the soup back to a boil. Add tortellini and cook until al dente, about 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream mixture. Taste and season to your preferences.
To Serve:
- Ladle the soup between bowls and sprinkle the fennel fronds on top. Drizzle with a touch of extra virgin olive oil if desired. Enjoy!
