Souper Sunday: Italian Tortellini

I love Taste of Home magazine.  Their recipes, full of fat and flavour, always work, and are always easy.  I mean, who else but TOH will have a super simple brunch for 8 as a 2 page layout, followed on the next page with a request for recipes for squirrel? (Don't laugh, I've seen such a request in TOH)
I have a bunch of TOH compilations...Holiday, Cookies, and Soup to name a few.  Seeing as make soup most Sundays, this one makes sense.  The odd thing?  I've only made 2 recipes out of it, and it was to be removed from the shelves by April 28, 2008.  That means that I've probably owned this magazine almost as long as I've been married.  And I've only made 2 recipes.  This needs to change!
So I sat down and browsed until I found something interesting.  When I make soup, I want something easy, hearty and filling.  I was pretty sure this one would fit the bill.

Ingredients:
2-7 oz packages of pork breakfast sausage links
2- 14.5 oz cans Italian stewed tomatoes
2 c water
1 c onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 bay leaf
3/4 c fresh cheese tortellini

Method:
1.  In a large saucepan, brown sausage, drain and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Return to pan and stir in remaining ingredients except for tortellini.
2.  Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.  Add tortellini.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until pasta is tender.  Discard bay leaf and serve.

From  Taste of Home

 I know what you're thinking!!  "Breakfast sausge?  Really??!?"  Yeah.  Just don't buy the maple flavoured ones.  I didn't need to take them out and cut into bite sized pieces.  They all stuck to the bottom of the pan, and in scraping them off they all broke apart.  The ones I bought also didn't produce a whole lot of oil, so I didn't feel a need to drain.  I think the original recipe called for meat tortellini, but I don't like it, so I used cheese, and it was delicious.  Even better the next day.  I would also say that the hot sauce made the soup, giving it just a little bit of a kick.
I love winter and soup making season.