Sausage & Tortellini Soup

I have a confession: I kind of hate January-March. Every year I try to rally and make the best of these three months that are stretching out ahead of us, but it's so hard for me. It gets dark so early, I miss the warm sunshine, there's not usually any holidays/time off from work, and I just long for spring and summer. Since there's nothing to be done about this wintery first quarter of the year, I try to focus on the (few) positives: cozy evenings at home, taking time to purge and organize every last closet of the house, and of course endless bowls of warm soup or chili. This soup is pretty easy to throw together, but it is quite hearty with the tortellini, sausage, and vegetables--perfect for a cold, January night.

Sausage & Tortellini Soup
1 pound mild Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6 oz) can tomato past
1 1/2 cans of water (use the empty tomato paste can)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup diced carrots
1 green pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
16 oz bag of frozen cheese-filled tortellini
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot brow the sausage, crumbling it with the backside of a spoon until cooked through (no longer pink). Remove sausage from pot and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Cook onion and garlic in same pot, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add broth, tomato paste, water, seasonings, and carrots. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce head, add sausage back to the pot, and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.

Add the peppers, zucchini, and tortellini, and cook for 10 more minutes, or until tortellini are tender. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

source: recipe from Life with Truth