Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
1lb Italian Sausage
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of water
3 cans of chicken broth (approximately 6 cups)
1/2 cup apple cider
1 can chopped stewed tomatoes (I usually get the italian style ones)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp oregano
2 medium zucchinis grated or sliced (I usually grate it)
1 8-10 oz package of chees tortellini (I get the frozen ones)
2 TBSP parsley

Instructions:
1. Brown sausage, garlic and onion in a large soup pot.
2. Add remaning ingredients except zucchinis, tortellini and parsley. Simmer 30 minutes.
3. Stir in the last 3 ingredients. Simmer another 30 minutes.

Add more broth if it gets to thick. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Review:
Pros: This is something my aunt makes, and we absolutely love it. Michael hates soup, but this is something he loves. It's really quite easy to make and pretty hard to mess up. (Believe me, I tried) Plus, it's a great way to add a few veggies and it is pretty healthy. It makes a big batch, so I often freeze half of it and save it for later.

Cons: It does take an hour to make. And I don't always have everything on hand, so I usually have to plan ahead.

Easy Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:
8 oz of uncooked fettuccine or linguine (This would be good with a penne pasta too)
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup of broccoli flowerets (frozen will work too, just thaw before, don't cook them)
1 cup of caulifowerets
2 medium carrots thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 cup of frozen green peas, rinsed
1 small onion chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Alfredo sauce
1 TBSP grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Cook noodles as directed on package.

2. In 12 inch skillets, heat oil over medium-high heat cook broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas and onion for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender ( or however you like them)

3. In a medium bowl or serving dish, put fettuccine, vegetables and alfredo sauce.
Gently toss until even coated. Top with parmesan.

BONUS!F or those of you looking for an easy alfredo sauce: heat 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of whipping cream, and 1 clove of crushed garlic until butter is melted and mixture starts to bubble (stirring frequently) reduce to low heat and simmer for about 6 minutes or until it thickens. Stir in 3/4 cup of grated parmesan and 1/2 tsp of salt

Review:

Pros: Michael and I loved this dish and it probably serves 4-5 and we only had one serving left. We then fought over the leftovers. It was great with just some french bread with it. It has lots of vegetables, so it doesn't feel as heavy with the alfredo sauce. It was really easy and quick to make and made a complete meal.

Cons: Alfredo sauce always has lots of calories.

Approximate cost: $3.50 (without alfredo sauce, but you can buy a jar for about $2)