Soup Sunday: Sherried Italian Tomato Soup with Sausage, Spinach, & Tortellini

Now that fall is headin' our way, I'm going to be making soup about once a week. Mainly because we both love soup a lot, so why not have it every week? Well, when were at the grocery store this week, I couldn't quite decide on what soup to make for this first week of Soup Sunday's... my Mountain Man wanted a hearty Italian soup and I wanted creamy tomato. We agreed to marry these two soups together to suit both of our tastes. This soup is substantial & super filling (I mean we're bustin' at the seams right now). I made a creamy tomato soup with sherry and basil, and then added in four cheese tortellini, italian sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and sauteed spinach. At first, I really wanted to make homemade tortellini, but I got lazy and decided to buy store-bought, but if you're feeling extra motivated then definitely go for it! This soup is sweet, spicy, creamy, & hearty. It's really like a meal in a bowl. And it definitely was everything that we were craving for our first soup recipe of the fall. Coming up next for Soup Sunday is Homemade Chicken & Noodle Soup! Enjoy :)

Sherried Italian Tomato Soup with Sausage, Spinach, & Tortellini

Always garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

For the Sherried Tomato Soup:

6T Melted Butter

1 Whole Sweet Onion, Diced

1T Garlic, Minced

1 46oz Bottle of Tomato Juice

2 14oz Cans of Diced Tomatoes

1T Chicken Base

3-6T Sugar

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

¼t Dried Oregano & Red Pepper Flakes

Chopped Fresh Basil (to your liking)

1C Cooking Sherry

1 ½C Heavy Cream

2 Packages of 4 Cheese Tortellini, Cooked (I used store-bought)

5 Italian-Style Sausages Cut into Bite-Size Cubes

2C Baby Spinach, Wilted

1C Sun Dried Tomatoes, Julienned

Freshly Grated Parmesan, For Garnish

Directions:

1. Sauté the diced onions and garlic in the butter until translucent, and then add the canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, seasonings, & fresh basil. Stir to combine. Bring the pot to a near boil, and then turn off the heat. Puree with an immersion blender, and then stir in the sherry and heavy cream. Return the pot back to medium heat and add in the cooked tortellini, chopped Italian sausage, wilted spinach, and sun dried tomatoes. Cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Once the soup has cooked, season with salt and pepper to your liking. 
2. Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with fresh basil and some grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy it while it's hot!

source: sherried tomato soup.