Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

It's been so cold here and I was craving a hearty soup.  I found this recipe on Pintrest and liked that it didn't look super labor intensive.  This soup is pretty fast to throw together and turned out really tasty!  I didn't add the bell peppers but followed the rest of the recipe.  I'd definitely make this one again!

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Ingredients:

1 lb Italian Sausage, rolled into 1/4 teaspoon size balls

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 red bell peppers, diced (I omitted these)

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

8 cups chicken broth

2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes (I only used 1 can that had basil & oregano)

1-1/2 cups chopped kale

2 cups cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the mini sausage balls until cooked through - about 5-7 minutes.  Drain the grease & place on a plate lined with paper towels

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender.  Stir in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Stir in peppers, bay leaf and red pepper flakes.  

Stir in broth, tomatoes and kale.  Add the cheese tortellini and cook until the pasta is tender - about 7-10 minutes.  Stir in fresh basil and season with Salt & Pepper.  Stir in mini sausage balls & heat until warm.  Remove bay leaf & serve.

Enjoy!