Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

I was hoping fall cool weather, and thought making soup would encourage it to come quicker.

1 lb. sweet Italian sauage, casings removed

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 cups beef broth

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup red wine

4 large tomatoes-peeled, seeded and chopped

1 cup thinky sliced carrots

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

1 (8 oz) can tomatoe sauce

1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini

8 oz fresh tortellini pasta

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.

2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

3. skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

We really liked this soup. The kid Chubbs gobbled it up. Big Chubb said that this soup was just like what he ate in Italy which means it must be good. The only thing that I would change about this recipe was the zucchini. I don't particularly care for boiled zucchini.

Here is a good substitute for red wine: beef broth plus a little vinegar, red wine preferably.