Delicious under the lid

One thing about comments on food blogs that bug me... I changed these 14 things in your recipe but it turned out terrible - meh! I mean... a recipe is created with certain ingredients for a reason. Enter me... we had these brats from the meat house from our pig that Andy did NOT like, I decided I'd try to cook them up for this recipe and try to hide them a little in the soup. Also kale is not something I've ever bought, so I got spinach instead because we like spinach for sure. I wish I had fresh basil but my seeds are just starting to sprout in my aerogarden and the only herbs growing outside in February are chives. So... let's say I made a bunch of changes but I’m not here to complain about it. Even with all my changes and subs - this recipe is solid and easy to do some swaps. It was a very fast cook and stayed perfect under the lid while I waited for everyone to come home and be ready to eat. I would have made some delicious crusty bread to dip in - but we had extra corn muffins - and why would you eat anything else if you have delicious corn muffins to eat? This recipe - a winner... even if you completely change it around.

Creamy Tortellini Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
⅓ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and basil until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.