SoupsUkrainian borscht
Ukrainian borscht: a pot of vitamins and a mark of a good cook.
Back to recipes
Soups
4 diners
A family recipe for 4 people.
Soups
Tortellini soup with sausages
A one-pot tortellini soup with browned smoked sausages, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth and a splash of cream, finished with spinach and parmesan. Ready in 20 minutes.
On a cold evening, when it is dark by five and everyone comes home hungry, this is the soup I make. Twenty minutes, one pot, and the kitchen smells of browned sausage, garlic and warm tomato. The tortellini go in right at the end, plump and soft, and the spinach wilts into the creamy red broth in seconds. It is the kind of supper that feels like you tried much harder than you did.
I start with the sausages. I slice them into rounds and lay them in a little hot oil in a heavy pot, and I leave them alone for a few minutes so they brown properly. That golden crust is where the flavour comes from. When the edges are dark and crisp, and the sausage is hot right through, the onion and garlic go in. They soften in the sausage fat and turn sweet, and that smell is the moment everyone starts asking when supper is ready.
Then the tomatoes, the broth and a splash of cream. I stir, scrape up everything stuck to the bottom of the pot, and bring it to the boil. The broth turns a soft orange and starts to bubble gently.
Now my one real tip: tortellini need exactly four minutes, no longer. I drop them into the simmering broth, set a timer, and stay by the pot. After four minutes they are cooked and tender. Any longer and the pasta goes soft and starts to fall apart, and the filling escapes into the soup. If your packet says something different, follow the packet.
At the very end, a handful of spinach and a good grating of parmesan. I stir until the spinach is dark green and soft, taste for salt and pepper, and it is ready. I serve it straight away, steaming hot, in deep bowls with a little more parmesan on top.
A few safety notes, because sausages and leftovers both need care. The sausage must be cooked through and piping hot before the vegetables go in. The soup should be steaming hot all the way through when you serve it. If there are leftovers, I cool them quickly in a wide container, put them in the fridge within two hours, at 5°C or below, and eat them within two days. I reheat leftovers only once, until steaming hot, with a splash of water or broth, because the tortellini soak up the broth overnight. The soup contains wheat, egg and milk (in the tortellini, cream and parmesan).
What do you add to your tortellini soup?
The film for this recipe is not on the channel yet
When the film is on the channel, the player will appear here.
Ingredients
- Smoked sausages, sliced into rounds – 300 g
- Sunflower oil – 1 tbsp
- Onion – 1 (about 150 g), finely chopped
- Garlic – 2 cloves, crushed
- Chopped tomatoes – 1 tin (400 g)
- Chicken or vegetable broth – 750 ml
- Double cream – 100 ml
- Fresh cheese tortellini – 300 g
- Baby spinach – 2 handfuls (about 80 g)
- Parmesan, finely grated – 30 g, plus extra to serve
- Salt and black pepper – to taste
Method
- Step 1
Heat the oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage rounds and brown them for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden and piping hot right through.
- Step 2
Add the onion and garlic and fry with the sausages for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until soft and sweet.
- Step 3
Pour in the tomatoes, broth and cream, scrape the bottom of the pot and bring to the boil.
- Step 4
Add the tortellini to the simmering broth and cook for exactly 4 minutes (or as the packet says), so the pasta stays tender.
- Step 5
Stir in the spinach and parmesan until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper and serve straight away, steaming hot.
- Step 6
Leftovers: cool quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below, eat within 2 days and reheat only once until steaming hot, adding a splash of water or broth.
You may also like
Soups
Comments