Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

It's cold, y'all! At 11:30 at night it's 26 degrees outside. And I live in Tennessee! I don't mind the cold, I actually prefer it to the heat, especially the muggy, humid heat we get here. Bailey doesn't seem to mind the cold either but we have two cars with the heat somewhat on the fritz. Aaron's truck has no heat at all and mine only has defrost or it blows at your feet. I guess that's better than last year when the defrost didn't work but it makes it hard to take Bailey anywhere when she can't wear a coat in the car and it takes forever (and a ton of gas) for the car to warm up.

It's been cold all day though. I'm not sure what the high was because Bailey and I stayed inside all wrapped up under blankets watching "Charlie and Lola" on YouTube. We had cereal together in front of the television, snuggled in the recliner, and shared a bowl of macaroni and cheese for lunch. It was a nice way to spend a day.

And when Aaron came home from work freezing cold I had this delicious soup ready to eat. It uses canned, seasoned tomatoes, and chicken broth. There's no need for any spices or even salt and pepper for my taste. The cream cheese makes the broth thick and creamy and the recipe couldn't get any easier. Well, it might be easier if you follow the original recipe and make it in the crock pot, but I was in a time crunch so I adapted it for the stove top. A little garlic bread on the side and you have an ideal winter meal.

Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup

Source: Adapted from Recipe Mothers

1 lb Italian sausage

2 cans diced tomatoes (seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano)

2 cans chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes

1 package (18-20 oz) cheese filled tortellini (or whatever kind you happen to prefer)

Brown the Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink.

Since we don't care for chunky tomatoes I poured mine in the food processor and blended them for a few seconds.

Add the tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Once the soup reaches a boil reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cream cheese. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir to mix the warm cream cheese into the broth.

Add the tortellini. You can read the package to determine how long they should cook or just let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes. As soon as the tortellini are cooked the soup is ready to serve.

Serve warm with garlic bread to dip.