It is that time of year again! Most Nebraskans celebrate its return. The crisp air, cool nights, exciting match-ups and extended times with friends where we consume too many calories. The truly loyal wear red every Saturday. It is a Husker football time!
Now, what would a Husker game be without a good get-together with friends and family? For those of us who can’t make it to Memorial Stadium (if you are not a Nebraska native you really need to do this…its an experience like NO OTHER) we enjoy traditions at home. My family (before there were a lot of little kids running around) would get together every Saturday for good food and emoting at the television. I would enjoy getting into the game and bringing some food for others. As I have gotten older, I have more often been in the position of hosting the get-togethers. And in this case, I am always looking for ideas. What is a good main dish for a group of people? Aside from the typical appetizer spread, I would like to heartily recommend soup. It is filling and it stretches a long way. Also, it often covers all the food groups.
Crowd pleaser
When I make soup for a large gathering, I like to make a couple different kinds. Chicken noodle and Italian sausage tortellini soup. One heavy. One light. A red chili and a white bean chili. One broth based. One cream based. A broccoli cheese soup and a sausage tortellini. One cream based. One broth based. You get the idea. This Italian sausage tortellini soup is a must. It will contrast with just about any kind of soup that is your old faithful. It will not disappoint. It is simple enough for you to make in a crock pot and complex enough that no one will suspect it.
Amazing soup
This recipe is adapted from a college roommate’s crock pot recipe book called The Slow Cooker Cookbook. Every time I make this soup, people want me to send them the recipe, and after fumbling around internet searches, I am forced to type it out and send it along. But this is no more. Here is the recipe for the amazing Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup.
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
[yumprint-recipe id=’5′]
To make this soup on the stove: Combine cooked Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, onion, carrots, mushrooms and Italian seasoning and cook covered on medium high heat for approximately an hour and a half. After an hour, add zucchini and uncooked tortellini noodles. Serves 6-8.
If you make it, drop me a line. I think this soup is nothing short of life changing. You and your guests will be glad you put it on the menu!
