Sausage Tortellini Soup with Fennel

Chicken sausage, tortellini and fennel make a cozy soup that isn't too heavy, and it's a good place for whatever green vegetables are at the market that week. Every part of the fennel gets used, from bulb to fronds.

Serves 4 · 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 to 16 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage, any flavor, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 large fennel bulb with stalks and fronds (bulb coarsely chopped, stalks thinly sliced, fronds finely chopped)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 6 cups (1½ quarts) chicken broth
• About 10 ounces fresh or frozen cheese, spinach or mushroom tortellini
• 2 cups chopped green vegetables, such as snap or snow peas, green beans, asparagus, kale, spinach or escarole, or frozen peas
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the sausage for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until crisp all over.
2. Add the chopped fennel bulb and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot, until softened.
3. Pour in the broth and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits and season to taste.
4. Add the tortellini and cook according to the package. For the last 3 minutes, add the green vegetables and up to ½ cup sliced fennel stalks.
5. Take the pot off the heat and stir in up to ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds. Serve topped with Parmesan and plenty of black pepper.

Tips

• Any fresh or cooked chicken or pork sausage works. Squeeze fresh sausage out of its casing before browning.

Adapted from Ali Slagle, NYT Cooking.