Amanda's Sausage Tortellini Soup

My friend, Amanda, brought us dinner one night last winter and we've been talking about the soup for months. I finally asked her for the recipe and was floored by how simple it is to make. Its rich and absolutely delicious!

Amanda's Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 onion, diced
1 lbs. Italian sausage
1 box beef broth
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1-2 cups cream or half-and-half (I used up some half and half and then used cream for the rest)
1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

1. Saute the onion and sausage together in a soup pot.

2. Add the pasta sauce and beef broth into the pot and bring to a simmer. 

3. Add your cream, tortellini and spinach. Cook for 3-5 minutes until pasta is cooked through. 

4. Serve with bread.

Lentils and Rice with Carmelized Onions

 This is the most delicious, homey and filling vegetarian dish! I absolutely love it.

Lentils and Rice with Carmelized Onions
(Adapted from here)

Caramelized Onions

• 1 1/2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Lentils and Rice

• 4 ½ cups water
• ½ medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup green lentils
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf

Serve with fresh lemon and greek yogurt (optional)

1. In a large pot, sauté the diced red onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the water, green lentils, and salt to the large pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. To make the caramelized onions, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat in a large frying pan and add the onion slices, stirring occasionally until completely soft, dark brown, and caramelized. NOTE: This will take about 30-40 minutes. The onions should become very dark and tacky when finished. Stir often to avoid burning.
5. Add the rice, cumin, cinnamon, and bayleaf to the lentils. Stir.
6. Cook covered for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Remove the bay leaf and top with the carmelized onions. Serve with fresh lemon and Greek yogurt (Optional. I prefer just the lemon!)