Tortellini Soup with Chicken Sausage + Veggies

Cold winter days call for warming hearty soups and this is one for the books! This Tortellini soup is full of veggies and lean chicken sausage so you get your fiber and protein in one fell swoop. The best part, it makes plenty of servings to last you throughout the week so you have more time to relax. 

Healthy eating shouldn't mean depriving yourself of the foods you love. It just means you have to find a good balance. This soup is a perfect example. It's filled with one of my favorite foods,  delicious cheesy tortellini which is a high carb/ high-fat food... not the kind of food you want to eat in excess. But I did eat this soup 5 days in a row and nothing happened! My clothes still fit the same, I had plenty of energy for my workouts, and if I weighed myself (which I don't... discussion for another time) the scale probably wouldn't have budged. Why? I balanced out the soup by adding lean chicken sausage and lots of veggies! Chicken sausage can be a great alternative to heavier versions like pork or beef, and all of those veggies (spinach, carrots, black-eyed peas) helped my tummy feel full and satisfied so I didn't feel like overeating. Healthy eating is all about balance because tortellini is life. That didn't really make sense but you get the picture :). 

Ingredients

• 6 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 12oz of pre-cooked Italian chicken sausage, sliced 
• 1 - 15oz can of black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed  
• 1 - 14.5 oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes 
• 1 - 16oz package of cheese tortellini 
• 1 - 10oz bag of baby spinach 
• 3 medium-sized carrots, diced  
• 1/2 medium onion, diced 
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 TBS basil 
• 1 TBS oregano 
• 1 TBS olive oil 
• Salt + Pepper to taste 

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add the carrots and saute for another 2 minutes.
2. Add the chicken sausage, diced tomato, broth, oregano, and basil, raise the heat to high and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes. 
4. While the soup is simmering, prepare the tortellini according to package directions. When it's done, rinse the tortellini in a colander under cold water. Set aside in a Tupperware. 
   • Cooking Tip: Store tortellini separately to prevent the soup from becoming too thick. 
5.  Add the black-eyed peas to the soup. Add salt + pepper or any other spices as desired. 
6. Prior to serving, throw a handful of spinach into each soup bowl + a few tortellini. Ladle the soup into the bowl over the spinach and tortellini. Enjoy! 
   • Cooking Tip: Add spinach immediately prior to serving to retain a bright green color. 

Nutrition Content: 

Yield: ~ 10 servings 

Serving Size: ~1.5 cups 

• Calories: 270cal
• Protein: 16g
• Fat: 6g
• Carbs: 36g
  • Fiber: 5g