Recipe: Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

My friend, Corrie, gave me this recipe. It is so delicious! I made it this weekend while all my family was in town for my brother's wedding. It was a hit and my sister said, "will you put that on your blog?" So, Merilee, here you go:

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup 

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 20 min

Ingredients:
3 Italian Turkey Sausage Links (4 oz each), casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
13/4 C water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg (9oz) cheese tortellini
6 oz fresh (of course I used my frozen) baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2 1/4 t minced fresh basil or 3/4 t dried basil
1/4 t pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded Parmesan Cheese for on top

Directions:
1. Cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil

2. Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (but I think it yielded much more)
203 calores, 8 g fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 878 mg sodium, 18 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein
Attributed to Tracy Fasnaccht from PA