Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana

🥘 Ingredients

• bacon (thick cut, chopped)
  4 slices
• broth (low sodium chicken)
  6 cups
• celery (ribs, chopped)
  2
• flakes (crushed red pepper)
• garlic (chopped)
  4 cloves
• grated parmesan or asiago cheese
  1/2 cup
• heavy cream or whole milk
  3/4 cup
• kale (tuscan or curly, roughly chopped)
  1 bunch
• lemon (juice of 1)
• onion (yellow, chopped)
  1
• pepper (kosher salt and black)
• pesto (basil, homemade or store-bought)
  1/3 cup
• sausage (ground spicy italian chicken or pork)
  3/4 pound
• sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed, oil drained, and tomatoes chopped)
  1/3 cup
• tortellini (cheese)
  1 pound

🍳 Cookware

• pot

1. 1

   Gather grated parmesan or asiago cheese , heavy cream or whole milk .

   grated parmesan or asiago cheese: 1/2 cup, heavy cream or whole milk: 3/4 cup
2. 2

   Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about ⏱️ 5 minutes . Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon.

   bacon: 4 slices (thick cut, chopped)
3. 3

   To the pot, add the sausage and onion . Brown all over, about ⏱️ 5-8 minutes . Add the celery , garlic , and a pinch of chili flakes , cook ⏱️ 2 minutes . Pour in the broth , 1 cup water, the pesto , sun-dried tomatoes , lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper . Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

   sausage: 3/4 pound (ground spicy italian chicken or pork), onion: 1 (yellow, chopped), celery: 2 (ribs, chopped), garlic: 4 cloves (chopped), flakes (crushed red pepper), broth: 6 cups (low sodium chicken), pesto: 1/3 cup (basil, homemade or store-bought), sun-dried tomatoes: 1/3 cup (oil-packed, oil drained, and tomatoes chopped), lemon (juice of 1), pepper (kosher salt and black)
4. 4

   Stir in the kale and cook ⏱️ 5 minutes , until wilted, stir in the tortellini . Cook ⏱️ 2-3 minutes , then add the cream and parmesan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the reserved bacon.

   kale: 1 bunch (tuscan or curly, roughly chopped), tortellini: 1 pound (cheese)
5. 5

   Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
6. 📝

   Nutrition: Calories Per Serving: 582 kcal