Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground Italian Sausage
1/2 cup diced onion (about 1/2 medium sized onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
32 ounces vegetable broth (chicken works too)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper (to taste)
9 ounces refrigerated tortellini
2 cups packed fresh spinach
6 Baguette slices ((about 1/3 of a baguette))
1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoons Freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Soup
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Heat vegetable oil and add diced onion. Saute until onions are beginning to softed; 3-4 minutes
Crumble Italian Sausage and garlic with the onion. Cook until sausage is no longer pink; about 4-5 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, vegetable (or chicken) broth, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
Garnish with shredded Parmesan and serve with a cheesy crostini crouton.
Crostini
Slice baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices. Butter one side and place butter side down in a hot skillet until golden brown. Flip bread slices over and sprinkle with Parmesan while the other side gets golden brown. Transfer to a plate and immediately cover loosely with foil if cheese has not completely melted.