Day 19: Sausage and Handmade Tortellini Soup

Here is another one of my favorite dishes that my Mom used to make, veganized. To make it simpler, you could substitute store-bought vegan ravioli (or perhaps you can actually find tortellin!). I did have some store-bought ravioli on hand, but I wanted to see about making the tortellinis myself (actually my husband made them while I made the filling and soup). My sense is that making tortellinis from scratch is actually easier than making raviolis from scratch, even though you might not be able to tell that they are tortellinis. ;)

*You will have tortellini left over, probably about enough to feed two people another meal. :)

Tortellini and Sausage Soup
Serves 4
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

For the tortellini pasta
3 cups semolina flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup warm water

Mix the ingredients together until a dough ball forms. Knead the dough for several minutes. Using a pasta roller, roll the dough out into thin sheets. Using a round glass or tupperware with a diameter of about 2 1/2 inches, cut the dough into little circles.

For the tortellini filling
1 cup cashews, boiled in water or soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
1/2 pound extra firm tofu
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Rinse the cashews and place in blender. Add the water and blend until smooth and thick. Using a spatula transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture to a small bowl (reserve the other 1/2 cup for another use). Add the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and stir to combine.

To make the tortellini, spoon a teaspoon of the mixture into i circle of pasta. Fold the pasta in half over the filling, and press along all the edges, pushing the air out and sealing the filling in. Press your finger on the center of the filling, wrap the two corners around your finger, and press them together until sealed. This will give you the classic tortellini look.

For the rest of the soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fennel bulb
3 Field Roast sausages, I used Apple-sage, but the Italian ones may be tasty too, sliced
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
10 cups veggie broth
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/2 recipe handmade tortellini (above)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel, and sausage, and saute until browned. Add thyme and red pepper flakes, and then the broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add the kale and cannellini beans.  Reduce heat to medium. Once the kale is wilted you can add the tortellini, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the tortellini is firm and is floating.

To serve
Vegan Parmesan, such as GoVeggie brand

Ladle soup into bowls, being sure to get both broth and goodies from the bottom. Sprinkle with parmesan. Serve with some crusty bread.

Cheers!