Before the hustle of the holiday season, I committed myself to getting some much needed rest and relaxation this weekend. After several birthday celebrations this weekend, I made a batch of Turkey Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup and made a date with Winston, the dog, a blanket and a couple episodes of 48 Hour Mystery. Nothing could be more self-preserving than a quiet night home and a good night’s sleep. I highly recommend it!

This soup is fantastic because it doesn’t take all day to make. An hour and it’s basically thrown together. Save this one for a chilly night ahead.

Turkey Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

• 16 – 19 oz turkey sausage, removed from casings
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
• 1 1/3 cups chopped carrots (3 medium)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (I used one petite cut, one regular)
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 9 oz. refrigerated three cheese tortellini
• 2 cups packed chopped kale (thick ribs removed)
• Finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into pot and brown, stirring and breaking up sausage occasionally, until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate lined with several layers of paper towels while reserving 1 Tbsp rendered fat in pot (if there’s not a tbsp just add 1 more tbsp olive oil to pot). Add onions and carrots and saute 3 minutes then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Stir in beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light boil, return sausage to pot, cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until carrots are nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in tortellini and kale then cover and cook 7 – 9 minutes longer. Serve warm with parmesan cheese if desired (note that as the soup rests the tortellini will absorb more broth so you can add more broth or water to thin as desired). Recipe source: Cooking Classy