Minestrone with Tortellini

From: Cooking with Heinz Ketchup cookbook

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (hot or regular)
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
46 oz beef or chicken broth
16 oz whole tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup Heinz tomato ketchup
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 cups sliced zucchini
7-9 oz meat or cheese-filled tortellini
Grated Parmesan cheese

In Dutch oven, brown sausage; drain excess fat.

Add onions and garlic, and saute until tender.

Add broth, tomatoes, ketchup, wine, carrots and celery; simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

Add zucchini and tortellini; simmer, covered, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve soup with Parmesan cheese.
























What I did differently:

I used dried onions instead of raw, 1/4 of a can of diced tomatoes, left out the red wine and celery, and used the tiniest zucchini I could find, all for the sake of my family's taste buds. It was still an amazing soup with incredible flavor.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! This soup was really filling and had such a great flavor. I would definitely make it again.

Italian Sausage Soup

From: Sunset Pasta cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs mild Italian sausages
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, chopped
1 large can (1 lb, 12 oz) Italian-style tomatoes
3 cans beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine or water
1/2 tsp dry basil
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 medium-size zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
5 oz medium-size bow-shaped noodles

Remove and discard sausage casings; cut sausages in 1/2-inch lengths. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, cook sausages over medium heat until lightly browned. Spoon off and discard all but 2 Tbsp drippings. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid.

Add broth, wine, and basil. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add parsley, pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Pass Parmesan at the table.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I loved this recipe. I only made a couple of changes. I used beef bouillon cubes (3) instead of actual broth, and I did use the water instead of red wine. I used rotini instead of bow-shaped noodles. This was such a great, filling, delicious soup. I would love to make this again in the future.

Italian Sausage Stew

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into chunks
2 small onions, cut into wedges
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp rosemary, crushed
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 large green or sweet red pepper, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp parsley, minced and fresh
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water

In a soup kettle over medium heat, brown sausage; drain. Add water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, Worcestershire and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for one hour or until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

Add the ketchup, pepper and parsley. Cook 12-15 minutes longer or until pepper is tender. Discard bay leaf.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into stew. Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Verdict:
This was very good! I subbed sweet Italian sausage and it added a great flavor. I'd definitely make this again. Very filling and loved this taste!

Italian Sausage Soup

From: Sunset Pasta Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs mild Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 large can (1 lb 12 oz) Italian-style tomatoes
3 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine or water
1/2 tsp dry basil
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 medium-size zucchini, cut into slices
5 ounces bow-shaped noodles
grated Parmesan cheese


Remove and discard sausage casings; cut sausages in 1/2-inch lengths. In a Dutch oven, cook sausages over medium heat until lightly browned. Spoon off and discard all but 2 Tbsp drippings. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp (about 5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes and their liquid (break up tomatoes with a spoon.) Add broth, wine, and basil. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Add parsley, pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Use Parmesan on soup.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used turkey kielbasa instead of sausage, 1 15-oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of 1 huge can of Italian tomatoes, 2 cans of beef broth, and left out the wine/water part. Nothing drastic.

What I'll do differently next time:
Whatever I need to substitute!!

Verdict:
Thumbs up. This was a good recipe, but not an all-time favorites. I probably could have eaten just the kielbasa and pasta and been happy with it, but I mean, I did have two bowls, so it wasn't bad or anything. :) I would make it again.