Tortellini Soup

This is a guest post by my friend Darcy who resides in northern Florida.  With the crazy winter weather that has hit the East Coast of late— extending all the way down to usually warm Southern climes, she's experimenting with cold weather food!  Thanks for joining us Darcy!  ~Annie

There is nothing as satisfying as hot soup when you've got a winter chill. Here in North Florida, we are not used to quite as much winter weather as we've had this year so I decided to kick this recipe up a notch with a spicy sausage. Bring on the heat! If you prefer something milder, my sister-in-law highly recommends substituting a mild turkey sausage with spinach leaves where I've gone for spicy turkey sausage and collard greens.

42 oz chicken broth (Organic broth from Costco is a great option)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes with oregano, garlic and basil
1lb spicy Italian turkey sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
9oz package whole wheat 3 cheese tortellini
1/2 bag (or more) collard greens, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp fennel seeds
salt or garlic salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated

Remove sausage casings, brown and drain. Add meat to soup pot along with onion and garlic. When onions are soft, add diced tomatoes, broth, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Simmer at least one hour.

15 minutes before serving, bring soup to a rapid boil. Add tortellini and collard greens. Check seasonings. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.