Description
It is like a cozy bowl of comfort which is just perfect to warm you up during these cold winter nights!
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 1/4 lbs lean hot Italian sausage, casings removed, you may substitute with sweet Italian sausage. We used the Yves Mediterranean sausage as we have vegetarians in the house.
- 1 medium finely diced onion
- 3 to 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 15 oz can tomato sauce.
- 4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon chicken stock base dissolved in 4 cups of hot water, or 1-quart, less-sodium chicken stock or broth.
- 9 oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini.
- 2 oz baby spinach, but you can add more if you like.
- 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Grated parmesan cheese, as required - but it is optional.
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste.
Instructions
- Press the 'SAUTE' button and set it to 'NORMAL'.
- Press the 'SAUTE' button and set it to 'NORMAL'.
Once it displays 'HOT', add olive oil.
Add the sausage, cook, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink and
lightly browned. Drain off excess grease, if any. - Add diced onions along with minced garlic, sauté
until the onions soften and turn translucent.
As the onions sweat, it will release the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. - Add the seasoning mix, and sauté for another minute.
- At this point, you should not have any browned bits stuck at the bottom, if you do, de-glaze the pot with ¼ cup of the chicken stock and scrape the bottom to remove the browned bits.
Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock, give everything a good mix. - Press 'CANCEL', close the lid of the Instant Pot.
Set the valve to 'SEALING'. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 15 minutes), after which the timer will begin. - Let the pot depressurize for 5 minutes.
Then do a quick release of the remaining pressure as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Once the silver pin drops, turn the knob to 'VENTING' and open the lid away from you. - Press the 'SAUTE' button, set it to 'NORMAL', bring the soup to a boil.
Add the fresh tortellini, mix well.
Let it cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top. - Stir in the spinach mixing it until it wilts.
- Finally, add the heavy cream, and give everything a good mix.
Check for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper if required. - Dish out, sprinkle grated parmesan (optional), serve alongside grilled cheese sandwiches or homemade crusty bread.
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, add some stock to adjust the consistency of the soup.
Notes
If you prefer a more tomato flavored soup, feel free to double the tomato sauce.
You can also add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste or simply use a 24 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce.
You can also throw in a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes with juices if you prefer a chunky tomato tortellini soup.
If you would like to add chicken, you can add in about 2-3 cups of diced, rotisserie chicken in the last step, or add about 1 lb of chicken breasts/thighs in step 4 and increase the pressure-cooking time to 8 minutes.
After the cooking cycle has completed, you can shred the chicken and add it to the soup in the last step.
Stove-top version:
Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch pot, follow steps 1-4, bring the soup to a boil, cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Then follow steps 7-10. You can use fresh herbs in lieu of dried.
Throw in a few sprigs of rosemary, and thyme in step 4. Finish off the soup with a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.
Prepared, tried, and tested by Beverley Bella from SA Tasty Recipes – Saffas Daily Recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 1173
- Sugar: 17
- Sodium: 3436
- Fat: 78
- Saturated Fat: 32
- Unsaturated Fat: 48
- Trans Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 63
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 55
- Cholesterol: 187
