Nothing beats a really hearty, satisfying soup. This soup is just bursting with flavour while the sausages give some bite and the tortellonis offer melty, cheesy, comforting carbs that fill your tummy. Polish Sausage & Tortelloni Soup is such a winner – it’s more than enough to be a meal all on its own and the perfect thing to have for dinner when you just want something in a bowl on the couch in front of the TV.
The ease of this recipe lies in using the ready-to-eat sausages and ready-made cheese tortellonis. Use what you can find would be my best advice – it will taste great no matter what and what’s available will vary based on where you live and where you shop, but it shouldn’t stop you from making this recipe. If you can’t find a fresh 4 cheese tortelloni or something similar, go for ravioli. Even a ricotta & spinach ravioli could work. I personally like the 4 Cheese Tortelloni from Sainsbury’s for this recipe.
As for the sausage, I’m personally lucky enough to live very close to a Polish grocery store & deli where I can buy just about anything with trustworthy recommendations, but I realise that not everyone has that luxury. If you’re reading this in America, go for the Pepperidge Farm Kielbasa or something similar. If you’re here in London or elsewhere in Europe, a smoked, ready-to-eat Polish sausage in an edible casing is what you’re looking for. I wouldn’t use the super thin ones or the really thick ones – you want to be able to slice this into coin shaped slices. I’ve used lots of different types from my local Polish deli and while the flavours differ slightly, they all taste great in this recipe.
In terms of serving, you don’t need much more than a crack of black pepper, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a crusty hunk of bread. I love having this with some toasted sourdough or a chunk of a really good baguette with a good, crisp crust for dunking. I’d have this for dinner any time with my husand, but I’d serve this to guests on a chilli evening or for lunch – it’s such a unique and satisfying bowl of food.
It’s worth pointing out that this amazing soup can be made ahead. If you want to just get it sorted a day before, it can be stopped at a certain point and refrigerated, but it could also be frozen for a later date. The soup is also delicious warmed up in the microwave as leftovers, so it’s really versatile. Let’s get started!
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 350g Polish sausage, thinly sliced into coins
- 1 onion, very finely chopped
- 1 carrot diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Leaves from 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 2 litres chicken stock (either homemade or from a stock pot or cube)
- 300g fresh cheese tortelloni (or other cheese filled fresh pasta of your choice)
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper for serving
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot that has a lid over medium high heat. Add the sausage slices, onion, carrot and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the sausage is turning crisp and golden. Don’t be afraid to take it there – if you need to cook it a little longer to get those sausage slices bronzed, keep going. Just be careful not to burn the veg.
- Add the chilli flakes and thyme leaves and stir to combine. Cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, clamp on the lid and leave it to simmer for at least 20 minutes or longer if you need to wait until serving time. You don’t want to add the pasta until just before you’re serving. (If you want to prepare this dish ahead of time or freeze it, cool it down after the simmering and store accordingly. Add the pasta at time of serving after bringing to a boil. Obviously if you’re freezing it, you’ll want to thaw it first.)
- After the soup has had some time to simmer, bring to the boil again and add the pasta. Cook the little pasta parcels in the soup according to packet instructions – it’s usually only about 3 to 5 minutes for the pasta to be cooked and tender, but still with a bit of bite to it.
- Serve the soup hot, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a good grinding of fresh black pepper and a hunk of crusty bread.
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