tortellini soup with italian sausage, spinach, and tomatoes... 30 minutes

the goods:

1 pound ground italian sausage

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small white onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 ounces) fire roasted crushed tomatoes

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup roughly-chopped basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 package (about 1 pound) refrigerated tortellini

2 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach

grated parmesan, for serving

Cook the italian sausage in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until browned, breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Transfer sausage with a plate with a slotted spoon, then drain excess grease from pot. Return pot to heat and add olive oil. Add white onion and saute for 7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, basil, salt and pepper, and the cooked sausage, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Add the tortellini and continue to to simmer for 8 minutes until tortellini is cooked through, stirring occasionally. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add spinach and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve with parmesan.