Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausage or chorizo sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
5 cups beef stock or canned broth
2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized red pepper, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano

8 to 10 ounces dried or fresh cheese tortellini
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Sauté Italian sausage in heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked through. Slice sausages when cool. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic to Dutch oven and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return sausage to Dutch oven. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil and oregano. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.